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BEAUTIFUL BIRDS: 


%\m lateral giistonr; 

INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR STRUCTURE, HABITS, 
MODIFICATION, ETC. ETC. 


EDITED, FROM TJfE 

MANUSCRIPT OF THE LATE JOHN COTTON, ESQ., F.Z.S., 


EOBERT TYAS, B.A., F.R.B.S., 

AUTHOR OF “FLOWERS FROM FOREIGN LANDS;” “FLOWERS FROM TnE 
HOLT LAND “FLOWERS AND HERALDRY;” “FAVOURITE 
FIELD FLOWERS,’ ETC. ETC. 


YOL. II. 



WITH TWELVE COLOURED PLATES, 

DRAWN AND COLOURED BY JAMES ANDREWS, 

'SnU manp Tingrabtngs. 


LONDON: 

HOULSTON AND STONEMAN, 

65, PATERNOSTER ROW. 


MDCCCLV, 


t 



LONDON : 

THOMAS HABRILD, PRINTER, SILVER STREET, 
EALCON SQUARE. 




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ADVERTISEMENT. 


The first volume of this work comprised an out- 
line history of the Raptorial Birds, together with 
that of the Dentirostral tribe of the Insessorial 
Order. In the present we lay before our readers 
the remainder of the Insessorial Order, com- 
prising the several Tribes, Eissirostres, Scansores, 
Tenuirostres, and Conirostres. The whole work 
will be completed by the publication of the third 
volume, which will comprehend the Orders 
Rasores, Grallatores, and Natatores: orders in 
which are placed several domestic and wild 
families well known and valued in this country. 
We, therefore, confidently expect that it wdll 
possess, for the majority of our readers, greater 
interest than the portions already published. 

































































































t 


* 



























CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Bee-eatebs and Swallows— 

European Roller 2 

Blue-bodied Roller 2 

Bill of the Bee-eater 3 

European Bee-eater 6 

Swallows 8 

Swifts . 13 

Hightjaes and Kingeishees — 

Goatsuckers 1 

Mosquito Hawk 3 

Wheel-bird 4 

Chum-owl 4 

J ar-owl 4 

Dor-hawk 4 

Eern-hawk * 4 

Carolina Goatsucker 6 

Trogons 7 

Couroucou 8 

Motmots 8 

Kingfishers 9 

Hermit Birds 10 

Jacamars 10’ 

Rufous-cheeked Kinghunter 15 

Puff-birds 16 


viii CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Cuckoos— 

European Cuckoo 7 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo • H 

Gilded Cuckoo 13 

Toucans •-••• 13 

Parrots — 

Blue and Yellow Macaw 9 

Cockatoos - 11 

Lories 12 

Papuan Lory <. 13 

Blue-bellied Lorikeet 14 

Carolina Parrot 15 

Woodpeckers — 

Ivory -billed Woodpecker 10 

Bed-head Woodpecker 12 

Downy Woodpecker 14 

Wrynecks, Creepers, Honey-eaters, and Nectar Birds — 

Wryneck 1 

Creepers 4 

European Nnthatch 6 

Carolina Nuthatch 7 

Common Creeper 8 

Tree Creeper 10 

Wrens 12 

Honey-eaters and Nectar Birds ) 13 

Honey- suckers 14 

Nectar Birds 16 

Humming Birds — 

** Humming Birds 1 

Euby-throated Humming Birds 8 

Sun Birds 14 

Hoopoes 113 

Splendid Epimachus 115 

Birds of Paradise 117 

Emerald Bird of Paradise 123 

Crows .. 129 

Baven 131 


CONTENTS. ix 

PAGE 

Book 133 

Carrion Crow 134 

Cornish Chough 137 

Magpie,., 138 

Nutcracker 140 

Starlings 142 

Grackles 143 

Hangnests 144 

Baltimore Hangnest 145 

Corn Troopial 147 

Bice Bunting 149 

Common Starling 151 

Finches 153 

Larks 155 

Skylark 157 

Woodlark 159 

Ground Finches 161 

Lark Bunting 162 

Snow Bunting 162 

Common Bunting 165 

Yellow Hammer 166 

Beed Bunting 167 

Ortolan Bunting 167 

Hawfinch 169 

Weavers 169 

Whidah Birds * 172 

Bengalies 172 

Crimson Nutcracker 173 

Bed Cardinal 174 

Virginian Nightingales 175 

Tanagers 176 

Scarlet Tanager 177 

Bullfinches 179 

Crossbeaks .* 180 

Common Crossbill 182 

Common Bullfinch , 183 

Plantain Eaters 185 


CONTENTS. 


VA.GS 

Plant Cutters 186 

•Colies 186 

Touracco Birds 186 

-Senegal Touracco 187 

Yiolet Plantain-eater 187 

Hombills 188 

Rhinoceros Hornbill 190 

■Concave Hornbill 191 


fist at flutes 

IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE PLACED. 


HbopOES and Birds of Paradise. 

Bird of Paradise ( Paradisea apoda). 

Bee-eatees and Swallows. 

The Bee-eater ( Merops apiaster). 

The Swallow ( U.irundo rustied). 

NIGHTJARS AND KINGFISHERS. 

The Nightjar ( Caprimulgus Europceus). 

The Kingfisher ( Alcedo Ispidd). 

Cuckoos. 

The Common Cuckoo (Cueulus canorus). 

The Gilded Cuckoo ( Cueulus auratus). 

Paerots. 

The Papuan Lory ( Pyrrhodes Papuensis ) ; 

The Carolina Parrakeet ( Psittacus Carolinentis) . 
Woodpeckers. 

Three-toed Woodpecker ( Picus tridactylus). 

Bed-head Woodpecker ( Picus erythrocephalus). 

Wrynecks, Creeper, Honey-eaters, and Nectar Birds. 
The Wryneck (Yunx torquilla). 

The Nuthatch {Sitta Europcea). 

Humming Birds. 

Recurved-beak Humming Bird ( Trochilus recurvirostris). 
Topaz Humming Bird ( Trochilus moschitus). 

Crows and Starlings. 

The Common Crow ( Corvus cor one). 

The Nutcracker {Nucifraga guttata). 

Starlings and Finches. 

The Common Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris). 

The Baltimore Hangnest ( Icterus Baltimore ). 

Ground Finches, I. 

The Hawfinch ( Coccotbraustes Europeans). 

The Bed Cardinal ( Ghiarica cardinalis). 

Ground Finches, II. 

The Cross-bill ( Loxia curvirostra). 

The Bullfinch (Pyrrhula vulgaris ). 





















































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.JVfj. 7Jie3ee/4atrr. JS ro 2. Th*/SwulUw. 



BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


Ik Haters anti Stellate. 

EISSIBOSTRES. 

The birds now under consideration are distinguished 
from the Dentirostres by a very wide gape, together 
with a weak conformation of legs and feet ; and further 
by their extraordinary powers of flight, and by feeding 
exclusively (the typical families at least) upon insects, 
which they capture during their flight. So little 
occasion have they to use their feet, that these 
members appear modified and diminished to the 
utmost extent, and only capable of serving as a 
support to the body when at rest. A great diversity 
of structure is, however, observed among the different 
groups of perching birds which constitute the division 
Fissirostres. The whole tribe is divided into the 
following families, namely, Meropidce , or Bee -eaters ; 
Hirandinidce , or Swallows ; Caprimulgidce , or Groat- 
suckers; Trogonidce, or Trogons; and Haley onidee, 
or Kingfishers. 

The connecting links between the Meropidce and 
the Muscicapidce (Flycatchers) appear to be the 
genera Gubernetes on the side of the last-named 
family, and Furystomus on that of the Bee-eaters. 
The latter genus contains the Swallow-rollers of 
India, Africa, and Australia, splendilyd clothed in 
sea-green and vivid blue plumage. To these succeed 
the tftie Boilers ( Coracias ), natives of the Eastern con- 
tinent, with splendid plumage and, generally speaking 
yOL. II. B 


2 


BEAUTIFUL BIBDS. 


handsome forms, but their voice is harsh and dis- 
agreeable. They, inhabit the depths of forests, and 
are not, therefore, often observed. Their general con- 
formation would induce the idea that they feed upon 
the wing, and not upon the ground, as has hitherto 
been supposed. Their generic characters are: Bill 
of mean length, higher than broad, compressed, 
straight ; the upper mandible bent at the point ; gape 
wide ; nostrils basal and lateral, half-covered by a mem- 
brane, which is furnished with stiff, bristly feathers ; 
wings long, acuminated, having the first quill shorter 
than the second, which is the longest in the wing; tarsus 
Shorter than the middle toe ; tail generally long, capable 
of spreading, and composed offirm feathers ; feet short ; 
all the toes free to their bases ; inner toe the shortest. 

A few accidental stragglers of one of the species, 
Coracias garrula (the Garrulous or European Eoller), 
have at different times been taken in Great Britain. 
In Germany this species appears to be common ; and 
it is also numerous in many parts of Sweden and 
Denm ark. It is a bird of restless and fierce disposi- 
tion, and very clamorous. 

Mr. Swainson, in the second volume of his “ Birds 
of Western Africa,” referring to the Blue-bodied Boi- 
ler ( Coracias cyanog aster), says, if richness of colour- 
ing alone constituted beauty, this Boiler would be 
the most splendid of all the birds of Western Africa* 
No effort of art can possibly do justice to those in- 
imitable rich lines of ultramarine, beryl colour, and 
changeable fawn, with which it is ornamented ; for 
there are no tints hitherto discovered, either mineral 
or vegetable, which will enable the painter to produce 


BEE-EATEES AND SWALLOWS. 


3 


their successful imitation. The total length of the 
bird is about thirteen inches. The whole of the head, 
neck, throat, and breast is enveloped, as it were, in 
a hood of very light drab, or fawn colour, glossed 
with green, which changes its tint in different direc- 
tions of light ; the drab sometimes assumes a warmer 
ferruginous tinge, while in others it seems changed 
into a light but dull yellowish-green ; the front, chin, 
and eyebrows are paler, and almost white ; a black 
mantle spreads over the interscapulars and the sca- 
pular-covers ; the wings are of the deepest and most 
brilliant mazarine blue, except the basal half of the 
quills, which are of a light beryl or blue-green colour ; 
the lower part of the back and upper tail-covers are deep 
blue, so also are the corresponding parts on the upper 
plumage, that is, from the breast to the vent ; the tail 
is light sea-green, brightest beneath. The under wing- 
covers, and the breast-plumes close to them, are of the 
same turquoise green as the tail ; bills and legs blackish. 

The bill of the true Bee-eater, forming the genus 
Merops , is 
long, slender 
and slightly 
curved ; tri- 
angular at 
the base, 
and having 
an elevated 
ridge on the 
culmen. Nos- 
trils, basal, lateral, oval, and open, partly hidden by 
reflected bristles. Beet having the tarsus short, with 



4 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


three toes before and one behind, the outer toe being 
joined to the middle one as far as the second joint ; 
the inner one the same as far as the first. Claws small, 
curved; that of the hind toe the smallest. Wings 
long and pointed ; the first quill very short, and the 
second the longest in the wing. The form of the tail 
varies with the species, being square at the end in 
some, forked in others, and in others, again, with the 
middle feathers produced; but in all the species it 
is of considerable length. 

In the breast-bone of the Bee-eater the keel is very 
much produced, as in all birds of powerful wing, and 
extends the whole length of the sternum. This bone, 
Mr. Mudie observes, is very beautifully adapted to 
the habits of its owner. It combines great flying 
power: length for the support of a body habitually 
on the wing, and flexibility in the posterior angles, by 
means of which the bird can better thread its way 
among obstacles. And the birds of this and the 
analogous genera are all powerful, and long continued 
in their flight, although none of them are lofty fliers. 
Feeding chiefly upon winged insects by the banks 
of rivers, or over other humid surfaces in warm cli- 
mates, where vegetation is luxuriant, they have to 
pursue their prey among twigs and branches, the 
pendent festoons of climbing plants, and the tall 
stems and large leaves of aquatic ones, so that while 
they pursue in a swift and smooth forward flight, it 
is also necessary that they should be able to guide 
and turn in all directions with the utmost freedom. 
This facility in turning is very necessary to birds 
which feed upon insects, many of which are them- 


BEE-EATERS AND SWALLOWS. 


5 


selves carnivorous, or hawk for their prey in the 
bushes or on the leaves, and others are to he sought 
for in the corollas of plants, into which they have 
plunged for the sake of the sweet juices which accu- 
mulate there.* 

The plumage of these birds is extremely beautiful, 
rich and metallic in its lustre, and very firm in texture. 
They get their English name of Bee-eater from their 
food consisting principally of bees, wasps, hornets, 
and other insects of comparatively long and rapid 
flight. They dig holes to a considerable depth in the 
banks of rivers, wherein to deposit their eggs and 
rear their brood. Their feet, which are powerless in 
assisting them to find their food, or to aid in its cap- 
ture, become effective instruments in excavating a 
hole in a soft bank for the important office of incu- 
bation. The young birds continue for a long time in 
the nest after they are hatched, and they are fed there 
by the parents. In proportion as the plumage that 
is to be produced is firm or lax, the time that their 
young remain in their nest is long or short. That of 
the partridge and plover is loose or downy, and the 
young are able to leave the nest almost as soon as 
they are hatched ; but the plumage of the Bee-eater 
is compact and stiff, and some time is required for the 
production of the delicate tissue of vessels which is 
necessary for the firm structure of the Bee-eater’s 
feathers. It is on these compact, and firm feathers 
that the rays of the sun appear to act most power- 
fully, for they are generally the most highly coloured 
and lustrous ; and those birds that are the most ex- 

* Natural History of Birds. 


6 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


posed to the action of the sun have the most gay 
and glossy plumage, and it is probable that the me- 
tallic lustre and smooth surface of the plumage of 
tropical birds is a provision against the powerful heat 
and light, which is reflected as well as decomposed 
by that refraction which shows the colours. 

Bee-eaters are birds of warm, sunny climes, and of 
districts where sweet fruits are produced. They are 
not found in the New World, but appear to be repre- 
sented in that continent by the genus Priorities. 

One species, Merops apiaster, or European Bee- 
eater, has occasionally strayed into Britain. It is 
about eleven inches in length, the female being rather 
smaller than the male. The extent of the expanded 
wings is about seventeen or eighteen inches. The - 
colour on the upper part is of a maroon red, fading 
into yellowish rust-colour on the middle of the back ; 
the front of the head white, shaded with green ; the 
eye-streak large and of a black colour ; the quills and 
coverts olive-green ; the neck golden yellow, marked 
in the middle with a half colour of black, and all the 
rest of the under part clear aqua-marine, or sea-green. 
The bill black and the feet brown. 

In the south-east and eastern portions of Europe, 
these birds are not uncommon during the summer. 
On the approach of autumn, they collect together in 
large flocks, and depart for more southern latitudes. 

It is so abundant in all the islands of the Archi- 
pelago and the Levant, as to be one of the most 
common summer birds. The climate of these islands 
is very fine, and as, from their comparatively small 
size, no part of them is at any great distance from 


BEE-EATERS AND SWALLOWS. 


7 


water, they abound with insects, which afford sub- 
sistence to all the species of insectivorous birds, espe- 
cially those which prey on the wing. 

In these islands, the species under consideration 
is as plentiful and as familiar in its habits as Swal- 
lows are with us, only it builds, or rather burrows, 
in banks remote from human habitations. But, in 
search of its food, it flies in the close vicinity of 
houses ; and in Crete especially, the boys are said 
to angle for it in rather a curious manner. They 
catch locusts, or any of the larger winged insects 
which have considerable power of flight, fasten the 
insect to a crooked pin or small fishhook at the 
end of a line, and letting the insect fly from the 
window, retain the line in their hand. The insect 
mounts up and endeavours to escape, notwithstanding 
the weight which it has to drag after it ; and the Bee- 
eater perceiving it in the air, snaps at it, is caught by 
the hook, and dragged home. This is perhaps one of 
the most singular modes of bird-catching, and yet 
anglers in this country sometimes catch Swallows in- 
voluntarily, in a manner nearly similar, by means of 
their artificial flies ; and the writer has sometimes 
been astonished, in casting his fly, at throwing a Swal- 
low on the water, instead of raising a trout.* 

The flight of the Bee-eater much resembles that of 
the Swallow, though it is more direct, and less rapid. 
The nest is formed in the sandy bank of some river, 
or sometimes in mountain ridges where the soil is 
loose. The depth of the excavation, according to 
Latham, is six feet. The eggs, which vary in num- 


Britiah Cyclopaedia. 


8 


BEAUTIEUL BIRDS. 


ber from four to six or seven, are white, and are depo- 
sited in a bed of moss, at the further extremity of 
the hole. 

It may be thought unnecessary to enter at any 
length into the habits and character of the Swallows 
(Hinmdinidce ) , so familiar are they to every one from 
their being so constantly on the wing, such confiding, 
friendly visitors to our houses, and so strikingly 
active in their motions ; but their powers of flight 
are so extraordinary, and their mode of capturing 
insects so different to that of any other bird, that we 
cannot pass by the consideration of their structure 
and economy. These birds are observed during sum- 
mer, from morning dawn till twilight closes upon the 
departing day, flying through the air with the greatest 
rapidity ; skimming the surface of water, or gliding 
swiftly on motionless wing; turning and doubling, 
and darting like an arrow from a bow, with so much 
ease that but little exertion appears to be made by 
any of their limbs. It is evident, however, that they 
have to support themselves in the air as well as to 
make progress through it — that muscles must be in 
action; and it is surprising that they so seldom 
appear to need repose. They are for ever on the 
wing. The Swifts, which get their common name 
from the rapidity of their flight, are generally sixteen 
or eighteen hours on the wing every day, at that time 
of the year when they have their broods. During 
these hours it has been computed that they cannot, 
on the average, move over less space than a thousand 
or twelve hundred miles. The rapidity of their flight 
must require constant exertion, which cannot be kept 


BEE-EATEES AND SWALLOWS. 


9 


up without a proportionate waste and a reparation 
of that waste, which is effected in some degree by 
means of respiration. The auxiliary breathing which 
they have in supplement to the common action of the 
lungs no doubt prevents the exhaustion of those 
organs, and checks fatigue, by the buoyancy which 
it gives to the bird. Feathers that take much hold 
on the air would impede their progress, and be the 
very worst adapted for them, and accordingly all their 
feathers are firm aud smooth ; so that constant exertion 
is required to preserve their elevation in the air. 

The whole of the race are strictly insectivorous, and 
never destroy anything that is useful to man. How 
much they contribute to the preservation of many 
things that are valuable to him can scarcely be con- 
ceived, the number of insects that they capture being 
beyond computation. Many of the flies that are taken 
in the upper air by Swallows, are captured while wing- 
ing their way for the purpose of depositing their eggs 
in situations where the grubs would be very injurious 
to vegetable life. Against these little depredators 
man has few direct defences within the range of his 
aids ; and it is on this account that the insect-feeding 
birds, and the Swallows which obtain their food where 
no other birds can, are so very valuable, and are of 
such use in the economy of nature. 

But let us see how the Swallow is enabled to perform 
these feats, and what is the modification of form and 
power requisite for such a purpose. 

The general characters are readily perceived. They 
are all, observes a writer in the “ British Cyclopaedia,” 
very thickly formed in the anterior part of their 


10 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


bodies, so that the whole mass is concentrated on the 
axis of the wings, and they taper off in beautiful 
curves toward the posterior extremity. Their wings 
are long and pointed, and remarkably compact in their 
texture, so that they can undergo a great deal of 
fatigue without injury ; they are acuminated, which is 
the form best adapted for rapid and long-continued 
flight. The first quill is generally the longest, although 
it sometimes happens that there is scarcely a percep- 



tible difference between that and the second ; the rest, 
however, gradually but regularly, diminish at almost 
equal intervals until they reach the lesser quills, which 
are little more than one-third the length of the exte- 
rior primaries, the whole of which are very broad, 
but gradually taper at their extremities. The lesser 
(secondary) quills, on the contrary, are not only un- 
usually short, but terminate so abruptly that they 
appear to have their ends cut off at that part ; how- 
ever, there exists in the middle a distinct notch, or 
sinuosity, to break the passage of the air — a structure 
which is only carried to its maximum in the Bee-eaters . 
The tertials are very little longer than the secondaries , 
and hardly exceed the shortest of the primaries. It is 
thus obvious that the whole power of the wing is 


BEE-EATERS AND SWALLOWS. 


11 


thrown into the ten principal quills, which are those 
chiefly employed in all birds to cut the air, but which 
in the present family are most particularly adapted 
for that purpose.* 

The tails of the Swallows are produced, in general 
very stiff, and in most of the species very much forked. 
All the extremities of their apparatus of flight are in 
fact pointed, and they can turn on these points in a 
very singular manner, flying horizontally, or on edge, 
or at any intermediate angle, apparently with equal 
ease. The power of the tail appears to give them as 
much facility of ascent and descent as they have 
rapidity in forward flight ; and as their prey is much 
more minute than that of even the smallest of the 
diurnal Accipitres , they are endowed with correspond- 
ing capacities for finding it. 

It is natural to suppose that their sight is very 
acute. Their feet are extremely small and feeble as 
compared with the power of their wings, but they are 
not walking birds, and rarely alight upon the ground. 
Some of them have the feet with all the four toes 
to the front, or 
rather all so 
placed that the 
claws shall press 
toward the cen- 
tre of the foot, 
where the joints 
of the legs are 
bent.* Their 
bills are short, 

* Nat. Hist, and Classification of Birds. t British Cyclopaedia. 



12 


BEAUTIFUL BIBDS. 


very broad at the base and much depressed. The upper 
mandible is generally bent at the tip, and carinated. 
Grape extending as far back as the posterior angle of 
the eye. The bill itself is small and weak, and totally 
incapable of acting as an instrument of defence against 
an enemy. 

Many of the species, it is almost needless to men- 
tion, form the receptacle for their eggs of mud or 
clay ; others of extraneous matters, agglomerated by a 
viscous liquid, provided from a glandular apparatus 
peculiar to such species. The nests of some exotic 
species, almost entirely formed of this viscous matter, 
are, it is said, highly esteemed as a condiment by the 
Chinese and other Eastern nations. 

During their migratory movements the Swallows 
fly in immense flocks, and they also frequently breed 
in large societies. They are widely dispersed over the 
globe, and some of them are met with in almost all 
climates at certain periods of the year. 

The young Swallow, like the young Bee-eater, re- 
mains in the nest for some considerable period after it 
is hatched, which imposes upon the parents a greater 
degree of labour in providing food for their young than 
is allotted to birds of less rapid flight. How beauti- 
fully, then, is the structure and' capacities of the 
Swallow adapted to its necessities ! without showing 
the least symptom of weariness, it dashes through the 
air with the utmost rapidity during the greater por- 
tion of the day, scouring a large tract of country in a 
very short space of time. It is thus enabled with ease 
to collect ample nutriment for itself, as well as for its 
callow brood. 


BEE-EATERS AND SWALLOWS. 13 

The Swift ( Cypselus ) is one of the fastest flying 
birds, and also of long-con- 
tinued flight. The sternal 
apparatus is represented in 
the engraving, which shows 
also its full, natural size. 

The keel, it will he observed, 
is much elevated and pointed at the anterior angle, and 
as no particular strength is required in the clavicles 
and furcal bone, on account of the easy flight of the 
bird, those bones are slight in comparison with the 
corresponding portion of the anatomy of the Falcon, 
which is likewise a bird of rapid flight, but one that 
requires great strength in these parts to support the 
stress which the powerful action of the muscles in its 
momentary rush would impose upon those bones. The 
sternum of the Falcon is much firmer and more deve- 
loped in the anterior part ; it is shorter in comparison, 
narrower in the posterior part than in the anterior, and 
the posterior angles are perforated with holes. That 
of the Swift has the posterior part broadest, and the 
angles have no holes. In the sternum of the Swift, 
observes Mr. Mudie, we have the maximum develop- 
ment of that bone as a carrying basket in the air, but 
still accompanied with considerable power of wing, 
though the Swift never rushes, either by its power of 
flight or by a momentum of gravitation, like the eagle. 
Its sternum bears up the whole under part of the 
body, and thus it can remain longer on the wing with- 
out fatigue than any other bird with which we are 
familiar. # 



* Natural History of Birds. 


14 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


The Swift is the largest species of British Hirun- 
dinidce. Its weight is remarkably small in proportion 
to the extent of its wings, the latter measuring eigh- 
teen inches, while the former is scarcely an ounce. 

The form of the Swift enables it to be the most 
rapid in its flight of all the Swallow tribe. It may be 
said indeed to live upon the wing. "When it does 
alight on the ground, which is rarely indeed, it can 
but crawl, on account of its short tarsi. The length 
of its wings also tend to keep it aloft, for they 
oppose themselves to its rising, which is difficult of 
achievement, even when attempted from moderate 
elevation, and it succeeds only after more than one 
or two trials. It may be said in truth never to settle 
willingly upon the ground. The sharp claws with 
which its toes are armed give it great capability for 
clinging to the slightest roughness on the front of 
rocks or sides of towers, in the dark crevices of which 
it hatches and rears its young. The Swift is the 
latest species of the tribe that comes to our shores 
and the earliest to leave them, remaining amongst 
us only from about the middle of April until August. 

Around the thousands of village towers or spires 
which rear their venerable heads, amid trees often 
coeval with themselves, in our land, these birds may 
very commonly be seen wheeling in the fine mornings 
and evenings of the pleasant months of June and July. 
With a sharp scream they soar above our heads, dashing 
about round the angles of the building with amazing 
velocity. There is great interest in watching them ; 
it is while on the wing that they feed and drink, collect 
materials for their nest, and enjoy their existence. 


BEE-EATEES AND SWALLOWS. 


15 


From dawn of mom till twilight has almost yielded to 
the darkness of the night do they thus float about, 
except the females, which in the hidden crevice of a rock 
or tower brood over their eggs ; the male continually 
flits by the nest of his mate, uttering a scream as it 
glides along, which the hen answers by a low murmur 
of satisfaction. 

The Swift forms its nest of dry grass and light 
straws interwoven, and held together by a viscous sub- 
stance ; it lines it with feathers, silk, and linen threads, 
picked from the ground in its rapid flight. The eggs 
are “white, and from two to four in number. When 
the female has sat all day, she comes forth at dusk, 
relieves her wearied limbs by rapid evolutions, takes 
a scant meal, and resumes her work of incubation. 









. 





















' V°JTIu>, Nijir/jar. N°Z The Km j fisher. 


Dfajjrtjars anix ptpjjra. 

The CaprimulgidcG, Nightjars, or Groatsuckers, as they 
are more generally called, are birds of nocturnal or 
crepuscular habits. They are appointed to thin the 
numbers of those million-breeding and destructive 
Phalcence and coleopterous insects that come abroad 
only in the twilight of still evenings, and in this 
respect the Groatsuckers somewhat resemble the Owls. 
Their plumage and visual powers are accordingly 
adapted to this habit, and as their prey is caught upon 
the wing in a manner similar to that of the Swallows, 
but consists of larger and more powerful insects, the 
greatest facility in securing the prey is given by a 
striking modification of the 
bill, or gape, and the pro- 
duction of a fence of stiff 
moveable bristles around its 
base. The fissure of the 
bill extends beyond the eye, 
and the base is extremely 
broad. The mouth is sup- 
plied with a glutinous secre- 
tion,' which assists in quieting the prey when being 
conveyed to their young. The eyes and ears are large 
and prominent; and the wings, although, as well as 
the rest of the plumage, soft and of light texture, are 
powerful as instruments of flight, enabling the bird to 
turn and double in the air almost with the ease and 
rapidity of a Swallow. The feet are small and weak. 



9 


BEAUTIEUL BIRDS. 


and the tarsi, which are generally covered with 
feathers, short. The toes are joined at their bases by 
a membrane ; and the hind toe is partially united to 
the inner front toe, and in some species is directed 
forwards. The claw on the middle toe is broad, and 
often toothed or serrated on its inner edge.* The tail 
is generally long, even, rounded, or forked. Some of 
the exotic species are decorated with extraneous 
feathers, or other appendages, issuing from the wings, 
tail, or bill. 

Most of these birds utter some peculiar cry, or 
whirring vibratory noise, which have obtained for them 

extraordinary names in 
imitation of the sound 
produced. In the fur 
countries of the north- 
ern parts of America the 
Caprimulgus Virginianus 
is a common species, and 
it ranges in summer even 
to the remotest Arctic 
islands. The gape of this 
bird is entirely destitute 
The wings are remarkably long and 



bristles. 


* The use of this pectinated claw of the Goatsucker has not been satisfac- 
torily ascertained. It has been supposed by some naturalists to give a firmer 
hold of the perch ; by others that it is of use in capturing the prey ; and 
by others, again, that it serves as a comb to rid the plumage on the head or 
vibrissae of vermin or particles of dust, or other substances that might 
adhere to those parts. It is probable, however, that it is used in confining 
the struggles of its prey, where too large or strong to be swallowed at once, 
until the harder portions are removed or the insect is deprived of life. It 
may likewise be used as a comb, and modified so as to suit the laxity of 
plumage of these birds. 


NIGHTJARS AND KINGFISHERS. 


3 


Swallow-like, the first quill being the longest, the 
second being nearly of equal length, but the others 
diminishing rapidly. None of the quills are emargi- 
nate on either shaft, nor are the margins formed for a 
noiseless flight, but are entire, like that structure seen 
in the Swallows. The tail is forked. 

This species, Dr. K-ichardson says, bears consider- 
able resemblance to some of the FalconidcB in the 
evolutions it performs in the air, whence, in allusion 
to its food, it obtains the appellation of Mosquito- 
hawk, at Hudson’s Bay. It often remains stationary 
for several seconds, fluttering its wings rapidly, and 
then suddenly shoots off a long way by a gliding 
motion, making a loud vibratory noise, resembling 
that produced by the vibration of a tense thick cord 
in a violent gust of wind. It also traverses the air 
backwards and forwards, quartering the sky as regu- 
larly as the Hen-harrier surveys a piece of ground. 
The total length of this species is upwards of ten 
inches. The eggs, as with most of the species, are 
deposited on the ground, without any nest being pre- 
pared for them. 

The genus Fodargus exhibits an aberrant form, the 
bill being of great strength and convexity, and the 
space around the eyes and base of the bill being fur- 
nished with radiating hairy feathers as in the Owls. 
In some the tarsi are elongated, and the middle claw 
is sometimes not serrated. A corresponding variation 
in the economy of the birds is made in accordance 
with these differences of structure. 

In Britain we possess only a single species of the 
typical genus, CaprimuJgus Furopceus. Most of the 


4 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


others are natives of the warmer climates of Asia, 
Africa, and America. 

The name Groatsucker was given to this bird, or 
genus of birds, in early times on account of its sup- 
posed familiarity with cattle, and of its propensity to 
suck goats. The Trench call it JEngoulivent , a name 
signifying “swallower of the wind,” which is scarcely 
more appropriate than the former, though as the bird 
flies open-mouthed when feeding, and as its gape is 
very wide, a large current of air sets into its mouth 
and comes out again at the sides, making a peculiar 
booming or whirring sound, something like that made 
by the old-fashioned wheels used in hand-spinning 
wool. It has obtained some of its common English 
names from this sound, such as the “ Wheel-bird,” 
“Churn-owl,” “Jar-owl,” and latterly “ Nightjar.” It 
has also been called “Dor-hawk,” partly, perhaps, from 
the sound which it emits having some resemblance to 
that made by the dor-beetle, and partly also from the 
number of those beetles which it captures. It has 
likewise been named “Eern-owl,” from its proneness 
to hawk about the fern brakes in quest of its prey. 

Considerable difference as to size exists in different 
species ; but the colour of the plumage is very similar, 
and the various tints are so intermingled that the 
most laborious description must fail to convey any 
idea of it. The general colours are brown, grey, 
rufous, and whitish, disposed in a diversity of marks, 
bands, and spots throughout the plumage. 

Goatsuckers are most numerous in those portions 
of the globe which are favourable to the production of 
the numerous hosts of insects that are only seen 


NIGIITJAKS AND KINGFISHEKS. 5 

abroad after sunset ; and these are produced in the 
greatest profusion, Mr. Mudie states, where the sea- 
sons are strongly contrasted by alternating drought 
and rain. The former reduces the land to a state of 
desolation almost equal to that of winter, and the 
rains which follow stimulate both the vegetable and 
insect kingdoms to activity and health. At certain 
seasons in these latitudes the night air is literally 
crowded with insects, and the Caprimulgidce are con- 
sequently present also to keep in check their too 
rapid multiplication. Phalance and beetles of large 
size are then upon the wing, and the open mouth of 
the Goatsucker, with its expanded fringe of vibrissse, 
is ready to capture them. 

It has been observed that the sounds which they 
utter are very striking ; some have been thus amus- 
ingly described by Mr. Waterton, in his “ Wander- 
ings.” Alluding to the birds of this family which in- 
habit Demerara, he says : there are nine species here ; 
the largest appears nearly the size of the English 
wood-owl. Its cry is so remarkable, that having once 
heard it you will never forget it. When night reigns 
over those immeasurable wilds, whilst lying in your 
hammock, you will hear this Goatsucker lamenting 
like one in deep distress. A stranger would never 
conceive it to be the cry of a bird, he would say it 
was the departing voice of a midnight-murdered vic- 
tim, or the last wailing of Niobe for her poor children, 
before she was turned into stone. Suppose yourself 
in hopeless sorrow, begin with a high-toned note, and 
pronounce ha , ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, each note lower 
and lower, till the last is scarcely heard, pausing a 


6 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


moment or two betwixt every note, and you will have 
some idea of the moaning of the largest Goatsucker in 
Demerara. 

Four other species of Goatsucker articulate some 
words so distinctly that they have received their names 
from the sentences they appear to utter, and abso- 
lutely bewilder the stranger on his arrival in these parts. 
The most common one sits down close by your door, 
and flies and alights three or four yards before you, 
as you walk along the road, crying, who-are-you , who , 
who , who-are-you. Another bids you work-away , work, 
work , work-away. A third cries mournfully, willy - 
come-go, willy , willy , willy , will-come-go ; and high up 
in the country a fourth tells you to whip-poor-will, 
whip, whip, whip-poor-will* 

An American species, Caprimulgus Carolinensis, 
utters a cry in sound like chuck-wilV s-widow, which is 
its provincial name. Wilson says it is a solitary bird, 
arriving in Georgia in March, and in Virginia in 
April. Its cry is heard in the evening, soon after 
sunset, and with short intermissions is continued for 
many hours. As morning approaches the sound is 
renewed, and does not cease until day has fairly 
dawned. In the day it is not heard at all. It seems 
plainly to express the words which give its name, and 
each syllable is pronounced leisurely and distinctly, 
the chief emphasis being on the last word. When the 
air is still it is said to be heard at the distance of a 
mile. 

The flight of this bird is low, skimming a few feet 
above the ground, frequently settling on old logs or 

* Wanderings in South America. 


NIGHTJARS AND KINGFISHERS. 


7 


fences, and thence sweeping around in pursuit of 
insects which fly at night. It is seen, says Audubon, 
sweeping over cotton-fields or sugar plantations, cut- 
ting all sorts of figures, mounting, descending, or sail- 
ing with so much ease or grace that one might be led 
to call it Fairy of the Night. Now it follows a road 
or path on the wing, and alighting here and there to 
pick up the beetle emerging from its retreat ; again it 
rises high in air, and gives chase to insects floating 
there. At other times it poises itself on its wings 
opposite the trunk of a tree, and seizes the insects 
crawling on the bark, in this manner inspecting the 
whole tree, with motions as light as those by which 
the Humming-bird flutters from one flower to 
another. 

The Trogons ( Trogonida ) resemble the Goatsuckers 
in several particulars. They live in the deepest and 
most gloomy shades during day, where they sit, almost 
motionless, on a dead branch. During the morning and 
evening they are more active ; at these times they go 
into the more open parts of the forest, and taking a 
shady station, dart upon winged insects, particularly 
hard-coated beetles ; at other times, says Mr. Swain- 
son, they feed upon fruits, especially upon the rich 
purple berries of the different Melastomce , at which 
they invariably dart precisely the same as if they were 
insects capable of getting away ! The Trogons, like 
the Goatsuckers, have remarkably thin skins ; like 
them they feed upon the wing ; the feet of both are 
so short and feeble, as scarcely to be of any other use 
than to rest the body ; the bill in both is remarkably 
short; the plumage in both is soft and loose; both 


8 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


have the mouth defended by strong bristles, and both 
are most active during twilight. 

Couroucou is the Brazilian name of these birds. 
They are peculiar to the hotter regions of America 
and of India, and its adjacent islands, Ceylon, Java, 
Sumatra, etc.; one species only having as yet been 
discovered in Africa. They are remarkable for the 
beauty and brilliancy of their plumage. The metallic 
golden green of some species is of dazzling effulgence; 
in others it is less gorgeous ; the delicate pencillings 
of the plumage and the contrasted hues of deep 
scarlet, black, green, and brown produce a rich and 
beautiful effect. 

Trogons are zygodactylic , that is, they have their 
toes in pairs, two before and two behind. The ante- 
rior toes in some species are united, like those of the 
Bee-eaters, as far as the first joint. The tarsi are 
short and feeble, and generally feathered; the bill 
short, triangular, and strong, broad at the base, and 
the tips, and generally the margins of the mandibles, 
are toothed or serrated. The wings are short but 
pointed, the quill-feathers being rigid. The tail long, 
ample, and graduated, its outer feathers decreasing 
in length; in some species, and especially in that 
brilliant bird the resplendent Trogon, the tail-coverts 
are greatly elongated, so as to form a beautiful pendent 
plumage of loose wavy feathers. 

Like the Parrots and Woodpeckers, the Trogons 
breed in the hollows of decayed trees, the eggs being 
deposited on a bed of wood-dust, the work of insects ; 
they are three or four in number, and white. 

Like the Trogons, the Motmots (genus Priorities) 


NIGHTJARS AND KINGFISHERS. 


9 


have the hill toothed or serrated in its margins. The 
tongue is long and slender, and its sides ciliated so as 
to resemble a feather; feet like those of Merops ; 
wings short, rounded ; tail lengthened, cuneated. They 
inhabit shady forests, are solitary birds, and are usually 
found sitting nearly motionless, like other air-feeding 
birds. 

The next family is one which presents peculiarly 
marked features ; it is that of Halcyonida, or Kingfish- 
ers, containing the Puff-birds, Hermit-birds, Jacamars, 
etc. The whole of the genera, says Swainson, are 
sedentary, watching for their food from a fixed station, 
which they only quit when their prey approaches suf- 
ficiently near to come within the sweep of their wings ; 
if unsuccessful in their first attack, they do not pursue 
their game, but return again to their post, and patiently 
wait for another luckless straggler; if their first at- 
tempt is successful, they return with their victim to 
the same station, and then proceed to swallow it. 

These birds are remark- 
able for the great length and 
comparative strength of 
their bill, and the extreme 
shortness of their feet. 

The latter, although slight 
in structure, are beautifully 
adapted for grasping with 
a firm hold the extremity of 
a twig. The toes are either 
placed in pairs, versatile, 
as in Ouculus, or three in 
front conjoined, and one be- 



10 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


hind. Some species have only three toes, two in front 
and one behind. The anterior toes are so united as 
to form a broad sole, and a stable support for the body 
on a slender twig or other perch. The bill is gene- 
rally long, straight, and gradually tapering to a point, 
quadrangular in its section, and sometimes it is 
slightly curved. The wings are rounded; and the 
form of the bird is altogether short and thick. 

The Kingfisher, it is well known, watches patiently 
from a fixed station, generally a naked twig overhang- 
ing water, for such fish or other prey as may come 
within its reach, and then, after a time, flies to another 
station, where it alights and remains. The manners 
of the Puff-birds, forming the genus Tamatia, are 
somewhat similar. They sit for hours together, Mr. 
Swainson says, on a dead or withered branch, from 
which they dart upon such insects as come sufficiently 
near. The Hermit-birds ( Monassa ) do the same, and 
frequently rise up perpendicularly in the air, make a 
swoop, and return again to their former station. 
Similar manners also belong to the Jacamars ( Galbulo ), 
although their flight is weaker. They generally sit on 
low, naked branches in the forest paths, from whence 
they dart upon butterflies, spearing them with their 
long bill; their haunts, indeed, may frequently be 
known by the ground being strewed with the beautiful 
wings of their victims, the body of which they alone 
devour. 

The flight of the true Kingfisher is rapid and direct. 
Their plumage, especially that of the typical group, 
Alcedo, frequently exhibits the richest and most vivid 
colours, with a metallic or varying lustre, as differently 


* NIGHTJARS AND KINGFISHERS. 


11 


presented to the rays of light. They are mostly 
natives of the warmer climates of the New World; 
one species only, Alcedo ispida, is indigenous to 
Britain. 

They procure their food in a manner somewhat 
different to that of the Goatsuckers, Swallows, and 
Bee-eaters: let us then examine some of the pecu- 
liarities of structure by which they are adapted to 
their mode of obtaining food. 

The feet, not being required for any other purpose 
but to rest the body, are very small, and the toes 
appear but imperfectly developed ; there are generally 
three in front and one behind, but two of the former 
might be reckoned only as one, since they are united 
together even to the commencement of their respective 
claws; the inner toe is not half the length of the 
others, and seems rudimentary ; it has a claw, and is 
rather more detached at its tip than the other two ; 
in some, as in the three-toed Kingfishers, this inner 
toe disappears. The hinder toe (which is brought 
forward in the cut, to show its comparative length) 
is very short, and scarcely larger than the inner one ; 
the scales of the whole foot are so thin and trans- 
parent, that they can scarcely be seen in the small 
species by the naked eye. Those who have seen much 
of the true Kingfishers, so scarce in England, but so 
common in tropical America, know that they never 
perch upon any other than small and slender branches, 
and this we might infer from the shape of the foot. 
The two outer anterior toes are very long, so that 
they would completely clasp two-thirds of the circum- 
ference of a small branch, the other third being em- 


12 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


braced by the hinder toe ; this fact is further confirmed 
by the unusual flatness of the soles of all, and by the 
acuteness of the claws, which, from being but slightly 
curved, would not, upon a small branch, come into con- 
tact with the wood ; this union of the three anterior 
toes, by producing considerable breadth of sole, gives 
an unusual degree of steadiness to the bird, highly 
conducive to its remaining very long in one position. 
Thus we see that the foot of the Kingfisher, which 
at first appears so very imperfect, and so totally use- 
less for ordinary purposes, is that which is most of 
all suited to the habits and wants of the bird.* 

As it is usual for these birds to procure a consider- 
able portion of their food from water, the general form 
of the Kingfisher is that which is best adapted for sud- 
den plunges : the bill and head are large in comparison 
with the rest of the frame ; but the former is long and 
pointed, and acts as a kind of fisliing-spear, attenuated 
towards the point, and supported by the rounded 
wings, so ill adapted for long-continued rapid flight, 
but well suited to the dipping habits of their pos- 
sessor. The plumage is of that nature which is im- 
pervious to water, and the powers of its sight are 
acute and quick. 

The species of Kingfisher indigenous to Britain is 
Alcedo ispida. It is a splendid little bird, and its 
history is so replete with classical associations and 
poetic fictions, that it becomes an interesting subject 
in many respects. The very name of Halcyon (oA kvuv 
of the Greeks) conjures up a thousand pleasing recol- 
lections of fabled legends that we have read in foreign 

* Classification of Birds, Swainson. 


NIGHTJARS AND KINGFISHERS. 


13 


tongues ; of those quiet stilly states of the atmosphere 
when all nature seems to be lulled into a peaceful 
slumber, and one almost feels a disinclination to dis- 
turb the tranquillity which prevails around by drawing 
breath. It reminds us of those pleasant streams and 
brooks, those shadowed banks and waters where the 
speckled trout delights to revel ; and of the transient 
pleasure that its vivid brilliancy of colour communi- 
cated to us when we first observed the Kingfisher 
darting like a meteor o’er the placid stream. 

The Kingfisher, observes Selby, in point of locality 
is rather generally, though sparingly, diffused. It 
inhabits the banks of clear rivers and brooks, pre- 
ferring those that flow with an easy current, and 
whose beds are margined with willows, alders, or close 
bushes. It is usually seen perched upon a small 
bough overhanging the stream, from whence it darts 
upon the small fish and aquatic insects that form its 
food. 

Sometimes it will hover suspended (in the manner 
of the Kestrel and other hawks) over the water, and 
precipitate itself upon its prey, when risen to the sur- 
face. Upon making a capture it conveys the object 
to land, and, after beating it to death upon a stone or 
on the ground, swallows it whole. The bones and 
other indigestible parts are afterwards ejected in small 
pellets by the mouth. Its flight is very rapid, and 
sustained by a quickly -repeated motion of the wings, 
and is always in a straight and horizontal direction 
near the surface of the water. # 

As it is requisite that the water should be clear and 

* British Ornithology. 


14 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


without a ripple, in order that the Kingfisher may see 
its prey, it is only at particular spots, in peculiar states 
of the weather, that its operations can he successfully 
carried on. When evaporation has ceased, and the 
brilliant bird can, if so inclined, view its reflected 
image in the water, then is the Kingfisher’s harvest 
time ; then is he out, and active. 

As it is only on particular days and at particular 
hours, Mr. Mudie observes, that the Kingfisher can 
fish to advantage, he feeds abundantly at those times, 
and his gullet and stomach are ample in proportion ; 
nor is it till after he has gorged to the very throat, 
or the fishing tide is at an end, that he retires to his 
hole. There he digests and dozes, and often remains 
for days before he again sallies forth ; and when all 
the soluble matter is separated, he ejects the bones in 
those castings which are found in his den, and which, 
as they contain nothing but that which is capable of 
resisting the gastric juice of the bird, do not decom- 
pose in the air, so as to occasion the least unpleasant 
smell. 

These birds breed in the banks of the streams they 
haunt, either digging a hole themselves, or taking 
possession of that of a water-rat, which they after- 
wards enlarge to suit their convenience. The bearing 
of the hole is always diagonally upwards, and it pierces 
two or three feet into the bank. The nest is com- 
posed of the above-mentioned pellets of fish-bones, 
ejected into a small cavity at the further end of this 
retreat, and upon which the eggs are laid, to the num- 
ber of six or seven, of a transparent pinkish-white. 

The length of the European species is seven inches; 


NIGIIT JABS AND KINGFISHEKS. 


15 


there are some found in Africa which measure up- 
wards of fourteen inches in length, and the little 
B/ufous-cheeked Kinghunter (. Halcyon cyanotis ) mea- 
sures only four inches and a half in its entire length. 
The Kinghunters have been separated from the pre- 
ceding genus of late years, since their habits and 
structure have been better known. Their bill is gene- 
rally very broad at the base, in some species even 
depressed ; and instead of living upon fish, they seem 
to frequent forests for the sake of capturing small 
reptiles and insects. These birds are called by the 
Trench naturalists Martin chasseurs. 

Mr. Swainson, in describing the little Bufo us-cheeked 
Kinghunter, says that this superb little species may be 
called the gem of the family, both from its diminutive 
size and its exceeding richness of colouring. The 
crown of the head is occupied by an isolated broad 
patch of deep black, each feather having a transverse 
blue band across its tip, which gives this part the 
appearance of being lineated with ultramarine. From 
each nostril commences a large patch of rufous, which 
envelopes the base of the lower mandible, the ears, 
and the sides of. the head, where it forms a broad 
stripe over the eye ; this rufous encircles the neck 
above, and is glossed upon the ears, the nape and the 
maxillary stripe, with a most lovely lilac or violet 
colour; neither does it blend into the white of the 
throat, but terminates abruptly on its sides ; the back 
scapulars and tail- coverts are uniform ultramarine 
blue ; the wings and tail black, slightly glossed with 
the same ; the wing-coverts are tipped with blue ; 
chin and throat white; breast and all the remain- 


16 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


ing under plumage rufous orange; bill and legs 
scarlet. 

There remains to be noticed in the family Hal- 
cyonidce the genus Tamatia , or Puff-birds, which are 
distinguished by having the bill slightly curved down- 
wards towards the point ; by the nostrils being 
defended by long, stiff, incurved feathers and bristles ; 
the rictus being strongly bristled ; the toes being in 
pairs, and the external hind toe versatile, or capable 
of being brought half-way forwards. The large head, 
short tail, and great bill of these birds, says Cuvier, 
give them a stupid appearance. All the known 
species are from America, and live on insects. Their 
natural disposition is sad and solitary. 









JVPj. The/ common/ dicfaw. 





Cutlioos. 

SCANSOEES. 

The term Scansores is applied to that tribe of birds 
which indicate, by the structure of their feet and 
other characters, the grasping and climbing qualities 
which distinguish them from all others, and are so 
prominently conspicuous in the typical groups. Their 
powers of grasping, holding on, and climbing are so 
highly developed, that they may be considered the typi- 
cal group of the perching birds. The powers of their 
feet are not divided ; they have no facility of progress 
upon the ground, but their feet are exclusively formed 
for making way among the branches of, and climbing 
about trees. The general disposition of the toes is in 
pairs, that is, two before and two behind ; but there 
are several modifications of form in feet having the 
toes so disposed, each being accompanied by a cor- 
responding difference of function. Thus the Parrot’s 
foot is termed prehensile : the soles are remarkably 
broad, and the toes divided to their origin ; the two 
exterior toes are the longest, one of which is decidedly 
in front, while the other, although almost always di- 
rected backwards, can nevertheless be brought half- 
way in front, so as to make a curve outwards. If 
a Parrot were to grasp a perfectly round fruit, its four 
toes would hold it at four points of its circumference, 
and at four equal distances ; thus it is that these birds 
have the most varied powers of prehension in their 


2 


BEAUTIEFL BIRDS. 


feet of any of the Scansores ; for, when assisted by 
their hill, they can not only climb, but feed with their 
feet, this latter faculty being denied to all other 
groups. The Toncans, Cuckoos, and Pnlf-birds have 
the arrangement of the toes like unto the Parrots, but 
there is no breadth of sole, the tarsus is much more 
lengthened, and the toes, instead of being thick and 
strong, are slender and weak. These birds never 
climb, but as they sit much and often very long upon 
branches, it is necessary that their feet should be of 
such a form as to enable them to preserve an equal 
hold on all sides; we accordingly term their feet 
grasping. The Trogons exhibit another modification 
of structure in their feet, their toes are placed two 
before and two behind, but the posterior ones are 
altogether incapable, from the manner of their inser- 
tion, of being moved from their ordinary position, and 
they might therefore be termed the only birds whose 
toes are absolutely in pairs ; but they are by no means 
scansorial birds, and as they are perhaps the most 
sedentary birds in creation, their feet, which are also 
the weaker, seem to be constructed for the sole purpose 
of sitting still. These are termed gressorial feet.* 

The true scansorial foot, according to Mr. Swainson, 
is seen only in the Woodpeckers. The toes of these 
birds are arranged in pairs, and the outer hinder toe 
appears capable of a partial lateral motion, which 
assists the bird when climbing the bole of a tree. On 
flying from one tree to another, the Woodpecker 
generally alights upon the upright stem rather than 
upon a horizontal branch, and immediately begins, in 

* Classification of Birds. 


CUCKOOS. 


3 


a perpendicular attitude, to explore the hark, and de- 
tect the external signs that may appear of its insect- 
food lurking within. 

But there are other forms of climbing feet besides 
that of the Woodpecker, equally adapted for perpendi- 
cular ascent, having three toes in front and one be- 
hind, the hinder one having its claw lengthened and 
more powerfully developed ; these will be noticed 
when we consider the family Certhiadce , or Creepers. 

Birds of very different form, size, and appearance 
are brought together in this tribe ; we have the 
Cuckoos (Cuculidce), the Toucans ( Pamphastidce ), the 
Parrots (Psittacidce) , the Woodpeckers (Picidce), and. 
the Creepers ( Certhiadce). According to this arrange- 
ment, the Cuckoos and the Creepers form the aberrant 
groups, while the Parrots hold the typical station, 
which, from the intelligence they display, their great 
facility of climbing about trees, and moreover their 
peculiar and distinct characters, which render them 
the most isolated group of the whole class, we con- 
sider them most fit to occupy. The Woodpeckers 
and Toucans therefore fall under the denomination of 
sub-typical groups. 

In writing of the Fissirostres, we were engaged with 
that form of birds more particularly adapted for feed- 
ing upon winged insects which are caught in the air ; 
here we have to consider a very different development 
of form and powers. In the fissirostral birds, where 
the feet were not required to assist them in pro- 
curing their sustenance, those members were com- 
paratively feeble, and their only purpose we observed 
was to support the body upon a perch whilst the bird 


4 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


was at rest. In the present group the feet become 
essential instruments in aiding the birds to maintain a 
footing in those places where their food is alone 
to be procured, and their size and strength are pro- 
portionally developed. The bill, instead of being 
weak and broad at the base, in order to be serviceable 
in catching without injuring the flying insect, is much 
compressed and strengthened ; so much so, that some 
of the species are enabled to strike with it against 
the bark of a tree with considerable force, and to ex- 
cavate a hole in the solid wood. It becomes a service- 
able instrument, in some instances, in assisting the 
progress of the bird amongst the branches, as efficient 
as the foot itself, and is employed in extricating from 
the hard shell the kernel of fruits. In the aberrant 
group, leading into the succeeding tribe of slender- 
billed birds, Tenuirostres, the bill is attenuated and 
of a delicate structure, and the toes are arranged in a 
similar manner to the generality of insessorial birds ; 
thus exhibiting an approximation to the suctorial 
order of the Tenuirostres , and continuing the chain of 
progressive affinity. 

The generic characters of the family Cuculidce , by 
which we enter the tribe of scansorial birds, cannot 
be well defined, so as to include the whole of the 
genera, on account of the diversity of form that ob- 
tains amongst the members of it. The bill is gene- 
rally slender, somewhat compressed, broad at the base, 
and, in the typical species, slightly curved, the lower 
mandible following the curve of the upper ; the nos- 
trils basal, round, and margined with a prominent 
membrane. The legs short, toes arranged in pairs ; 


CUCKOOS. 


5 


the external hind toe capable of being brought half- 
way forward. The tibiae are clothed with long feathers 
and the tail is rather long, always more or less wedge- 
shaped, and strongly fortified by coverts. The cha- 
racter of the plumage is firm and thickly set. The 
hues of the more typical species are in general rather 
sombre, but a few African species exhibit a brilliancy 
of colour rarely equalled in the feathered race. 

So faintly is the scansorial structure indicated in 
these birds, says Mr. Swainson, that but for their 
natural habits, joined to the position of their toes, we 
should not suspect they were so intimately connected 
with the more typical groups of the tribe as they un- 
doubtedly are. They neither use their bill for climb- 
ing, like the Parrots, nor for making holes in trees, 
like the Woodpeckers ; neither can they mount the 
perpendicular stems like the Certhiadee , or Creepers, 
and yet they decidedly climb, although in a manner 
peculiar to themselves. Having frequently seen dif- 
ferent species of the Brazilian Cuckoos (forming part 
of the genus Coccyzus) in their native forests, I may 
safely affirm that they climb in all other directions 
than that of the perpendicular. Their flight is so 
feeble, from the extreme shortness of their wings, that 
it is evidently performed with difficulty, and it is 
never exercised but to convey them from one tree to 
another, and their flights in the thickly- wooded tracts 
of tropical America are of course very short ; they 
alight upon the highest boughs, and immediately 
begin to explore the horizontal and slanting ramifi- 
cations with the greatest assiduity, threading the most 
tangled mazes, and leaving none unexamined. In 


6 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


passing from one bough to another they simply hop, 
without using their wings, and their motions are so 
quick that an unpractised observer, even if placed 
immediately beneath the tree, would soon lose sight 
of the bird. The Brazilian hunters give to their 
Cuckoos the general name of Cat’s Tail ; nor is the 
epithet inappropriate, for their long hanging tails, no 
less than their mode of climbing the branches, give 
them some distant resemblance to that quadruped. I 
have no doubt that the great length of tail possessed 
by nearly all the Cuckoos is given to them as a sort 
of balance, just as a rope-dancer, with such an instru- 
ment in his hands, preserves his footing when other- 
wise he would assuredly fall. Kemote, then, as the 
Cuckoos unquestionably are from the typical Scansores 
(the "Woodpeckers, according to Mr. Swainson), we 
yet find the functions of the tail contribute to that office, 
although in a very different mode to that which it 
performs among the Woodpeckers, the Parrots, and 
the Creepers. 

The toes are placed in pairs, that is, two directed 
forward, and two apparently backward ; but a closer in- 
spection will show that the latter are not strictly pos- 
terior, and that they differ so very materially from those 
of the JPicidce as clearly to indieate a different use. 
The organization of the external posterior toe of all 
the Woodpeckers, Parrots, and Toucans renders it in- 
capable of being brought forward, even in the slightest 
degree ; whereas in the Cuckoos this toe can be made 
to form a right angle with that which is next to it in 
front, from which circumstance it has been termed 
versatile : this term, however, is not strictly correct, 


CUCKOOS. 


7 


inasmuch as the toe connot he brought more than half- 
way /orwari, although it can he placed entirely back- 
ward. The Cuckoos, in fact, are half-perching, half- 
climbing birds, not only in their feet, but in their 
manners.* 

Cuckoos are never found in other than warm and 
temperate climates. Two species only are known to 
resort to Europe, and these never show themselves in 
our quarter of the globe, except in the warm season. 
Tropical countries and those which approach the 
equator afford the greatest number of species. 

The food of the Cuckoos consists principally of soft 
fruits and soft insects, especially the latter, and more 
particularly when they are in the larva state. Most of 
the species are migratory, and the more typical species 
fly with strength and rapidity. 

Although the common European Cuckoo ( Cuculus 
canorus ) is so generally known from its singular song, 
and parasitic habit, as it is termed, of depositing its 
egg in the nest of another bird, and thereby imposing 
upon another species the duty and labour of hatching 
and rearing its offspring, we must enter into some 
detail concerning it, more particularly since some 
points of its economy are strangely different to the 
habits of most birds, others have been little noticed, 
and many still remain to he explained. 

The form of the nostrils in the typical Cuckoo is 
very peculiar, and it is the opinion of Mr. Swainson 
that future observation will show this structure to he 
intimately connected with their parasitic habits. The 
nests of those species in which the Cuckoo deposits 

* Magazine of Zoology and Botany. 


8 


BEATJTIEUL BIRDS. 


her egg, we all know, continues that able naturalist, 
are built in the thickest and most central parts of 
trees and hushes, to discover which superior powers of 
smell have been given to the Toucans (which feed 
upon the eggs or young), and, in a less degree, are 
probably conferred upon the Cuckoos to facilitate their 
search after a foster-parent for their young. This 
peculiar-shaped nostril is restricted to such Cuckoos as 
are parasitic. The American and other species of the 
Coccyzus have the aperture of a lengthened oval shape, 
or in the form of a slit, and all we know of these 
birds sanctions the idea that they are not parasitic. 

The Cuckoo arrives in this country about the middle 
of April, at least its well-known vernal call is heard 
at that time, sooner or later ; however, this 
depends upon the temperature of the season, for 
should the weather be cold and inclement, though 
the birds may have made their appearance, their note 
is not uttered. It is the male bird alone, according to 
Mr. Selby, that repeats the well-known notes, the 
female making only a chattering noise. These birds 
leave us again towards the latter part of June, or the 
beginning of July. But the young birds are often 
observed to remain for a much longer period, even till 
September. 

It is a general opinion that the Cuckoo does not 
pair, nor, according to the common acceptation of the 
term, is it a polygamous bird, but all of them live 
together in a promiscuous state of concubinage. Tied 
down by no duties of incubation, these birds are bound 
to no particular spot, but wander without control 
from place to place throughout the summer. It is 


CUCKOOS. 


9 


generally believed thafc this “vagrant Cuckoo” never 
does construct a nest, and that it always selects that 
of an insect-feeding bird wherein to deposit its egg. 
Among others the Hedge-chanter or Dunnock, the 
Heed-bunting, the Titlark or Meadow Pipit, the Pied 
Wagtail, the Yellow-hammer, etc., have been recorded 
as birds to whose charge the egg has been committed, 
but the first is said to be most commonly chosen. The 
nests of the Greenfinch, Linnet, Whitethroat, and 
even of the Wren, have been mentioned as the place of 
deposit. Whether the bird actually lays the egg in the 
nest has been doubted, and if the case of one having 
been assigned to the charge of the Wren be a fact, it 
is almost conclusive that she does not so deposit it in 
all cases, for the aperture of the Wren’s nest is in the 
side, and not more than large enough to admit the 
Wren herself. The Cuckoo egg is remarkably small 
for the size of the bird, hardly equalling in this respect 
the size of the Skylark ; it is therefore somewhat in 
proportion to the small nests into which it is com- 
monly introduced. Its colour is white sprinkled with 
two shades of ash-coloured spots, mostly at the larger 
end. A Cuckoo has been observed to watch a pair of 
Wagtails constructing their nest, and ere the structure 
was yet completed deposit its egg. The following day 
the female Wagtail commenced laying, without dis- 
turbing the strange egg, which was hatched at the 
same time with the rest, and the young Cuckoo soon 
. contrived to have the whole nest to itself. 

It is a remarkable circumstance in the economy of 
the Cuckoo, that in its earliest infancy it should dis- 
play so much ingenuity, prescience, or whatever it 


10 


BEAUTIEUL BIRDS. 


may be termed, in ejecting from tbe nest, in which it 
has been by chance deposited, the natural and proper 
occupants. 

As the young Cuckoo requires a much larger 
quantity of food than the young of those birds upon 
whose labour it must depend for support, the requisite 
quantity might not be obtained were the others per- 
mitted to remain in the nest, it is therefore instigated 
to expel them, and thus secure the undivided attention 
of its foster parents. 

Naturalists have not yet been able to assign any 
satisfactory reason why the Cuckoo should be absolved 
from the labours of incubation. It may be that the 
mature birds are required to execute other important 
functions during the time that would be thns occu- 
pied. 

The peculiar call-note of the Cuckoo appears to be 
affected by the state of the weather ; during a long 
continuance of drought it gradually becomes more and 
more hoarse, till at length it seems to be uttered with 
considerable effort, and the first syllable of it is often 
broken into two or three. This defalcation in the 
Cuckoo’s song was the occasion of the ancient poet, 
John Heywood, inditing the following epigram: — 

Use maketh maistry, this hath been said alway, 

But all is not alway, as all men do say : 

In April, the Koocoo can sing her song by note, 

In June, oftime, she cannot sing a note; 

At first, Koo coo, Koo coo sing still can she do ; 

At last, Kooke, Kooke, Kooke ; six Kookes to one coo ! 

The Romans considered the Cuckoo excellent 
eating. Pliny (lib. x. cap. 9) says that no bird can be 
compared to it for sweetness of flesh. 


CUCKOOS. 


11 


Of the genus Cuculus many species are enume- 
rated, inhabiting different parts of the Eastern con- 
tinent, but chiefly Africa, and varying in size from 
double that of our bird to less than one-half. The 
plumage of the smaller species is generally of a bril- 
liant glossy green. 

The genus is represented in America by that of 
Coccyzus ; the individuals of which are smaller 
than the true Cuckoos, which they much resemble. 
The bill is, however, rather larger in proportion ; and 
the tails longer and bare of feathers. Wilson gives 
the following interesting account of the habits of one 
of them. 

A stranger, says Wilson, who visits the United 
States for the purpose of examining their natural pro- 
ductions, and passes through our woods in the months 
of May or June, will sometimes hear, as he traverses the 
borders of deep, retired, high-timbered hollows, an 
uncouth guttural sound or note, resembling the 
syllables ho we, home, Jcowe, ho we, Jcowe, beginning slowly, 
but ending so rapidly that the notes seem to run into 
each other, and vice versa ; he will hear this frequently, 
without being able to discover the bird or animal from 
which it proceeds, as it is both shy and solitary, seek- 
ing always the thickest foliage for concealment. This is 
the Yellow-billed Cuckoo {Coccyzus car olinensis.') From 
the imitative sound of its note, it is known in many 
parts by the name of Cow-bird; it is also called in 
Virginia the Bain-crow, being observed to be most 
clamorous immediately before rain. 

This species arrives in Pennsylvania, from the south, 
about the 22nd of April, according to Audubon, 


12 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


singly ; they return southward about the middle 
of September, flying high in the air and in loose 
flocks. They resort to the deepest shades of the 
forest, to the borders of solitary swamps, and apple 
orchards. 

A pair of these birds seem to appropriate certain 
tracts to themselves, where they rear their young in 
the midst of peace and plenty. They feed on insects, 
such as caterpillars and butterflies, as w'ell as on 
berries of many kinds, evincing a special predilection 
for the mulberry. In autumn they eat grapes, and I 
have seen them supporting themselves by a momentary 
motion of their wings opposite a bunch, as if selecting 
the ripest, when they would seize it and return to a 
branch, repeating their visits in this manner until 
satiated. They now and then descend to the ground 
to pick up a w r ood-snail or a beetle. 

The nest is simple, flat, composed of a few dry 
sticks and grass, formed much like that of the common 
Dove, and, like it, fastened to a horizontal branch. 
Wilson says that the sticks and twigs of which it is 
composed are intermixed with green weeds and 
blossoms of the common maple. On this almost flat 
bed the eggs, usually three or four in number, are 
placed ; these are of a uniform greenish-blue colour, 
and of a size proportionable to that of the bird. 
While the female is sitting, the male is generally not 
far distant, and gives the alarm by his notes, when any 
person is approaching. The female precipitates herself 
to the ground, feigning lameness to draw you away 
from the spot, fluttering, trailing her wings, and 
tumbling over in the manner of the Partridge, Wood- 


CUCKOOS. 


13 


cock, and many other species.* We cannot but con- 
trast this affectionate display of parental feeling with 
the reputed conduct of the European Cuckoo, 

The Grilded Cuckoo ( Guculus auratus) is an African 
species and abounds in Caffraria and jNTamaqua-land. 
Le Vaillant calls it Didric, in reference to its peculiar 
cry. In manner and form it is like our own Cuckoo. 
The female places her eggs in the nests of other birds, 
and if Le Vaillant’ s observations may be depended on, 
she conveys them to the chosen nests in her beak or 
throat. 

This species is about seven inches long ; the upper 
plumage is a rich glossy green with golden reflections ; 
the head is striped with white stripes, with which also 
the secondary quills and many of the wing-coverts are 
tipped, the under parts are white. 

An approxi- 
mation to the 
increased size 
of bill observed 
in the next 
family is ex- 
hibited in the 
Hornbill Cuc- 
koos ( Croto- 
phagince .) The 
bills of Phceni- 
cophceus (b) 
and Crotophaga (a) are represented in the cut. 

We now proceed to the second family of the 
Scansores, the Bamphastidce , or Toucans. These birds 

* American Ornithology. 



14 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


are chiefly characterised by the enormous size of their 
bill, which gives to their appearance a very singular 
and uncouth character. It is generally as deep at its 
base as the head itself, and of even greater breadth. 
It is uniformly of considerable length, in some species 
equal to that of the whole body, convex and gently 
arched above, and notched along its margin, which is 
extremely thin, by a series of irregular crenulated 
teeth. Although of so large a size it is exceedingly 
light, being composed entirely of thin cellular plates of 



bone, covered on the outside by a horny coating. A 
second equally remarkable peculiarity occurs in the 
structure of the tongue, which is of a firm cartilaginous 
texture, narrow, elongated, and furnished on either 
side with a continued row of fine slender processes 
closely approximated to each other, directed forwards, 
becoming longer towards the tip, and giving to the 
entire organ the appearance of a well -barbed feather. 
In the living birds, the bill is generally beautifully 
coloured with brilliant prismatic reflections ; but the 
colours fade and the reflections go off entirely after 


CUCKOOS. 


15 


the bird is dead. The nostrils, near the base of the 
bill, partly covered by a horny lamina of it and sur- 
rounded by membrane. The feet stout, with four toes, 
two to the front and two to the rear ; the front toes 
united as far as the first articulation, and the external 
one longer than the tarsus. The wings of mean length, 
concave and rounded, the third and fourth quills being 
longest ; the tail-feathers ten in number. 

Toucans make their way through the branches of 
trees, among which they constantly live, by hopping 
from bough to bough, their feet being more adapted for 
grasping, like those of the Parrots, than for climbing, 
like the Woodpeckers. They are mostly large-sized 
birds, of rich and glossy plumage, and their actions easy 
and graceful. The apparent disproportion of the bill, 
Mr. Swainson observes, is one of the innumerable 
instances of that beautiful adaptation of structure to 
use, which the book of nature everywhere reveals. 
The food of these birds principally consists of the 
eggs and young of others, to discover which nature 
has given them the most exquisite power of smell ^ 
these organs could not be developed under the ordinary 
form ; the bill therefore is made so large as to con- 
tain an infinity of nerves, disposed like network, all of 
which lead immediately to the nostrils, and are pro- 
tected externally by a thin horny covering ; so that 
the bill, apparently heavy, is in reality exceedingly 
light, and is no inconvenience to the bird whatever.* 

For our knowledge of the habits of these birds we 
are chiefly indebted to M. D’Azara. They are all of 
them natives of the tropical regions of America ; and 

* Classification of Birds. 


16 


beautiful bieds. 


subsist tbrougbout the greater part of the year chiefly 
upon fruits. But they are also highly carnivorous, 
and attack the smaller birds in their nests, driving 
them away from their eggs, or from their young, which 
they afterwards devour at their leisure. Even the 
eggs and young of the Macaws and other equally 
large birds are stated occasionally to fall victims to 
their propensity for preying on the progeny of their 
neighbours. These delicacies form their principal 
nutriment during the season in which they are to be 
procured ; hut when that is passed away, the Toucans 
return to their vegetable diet, and never attempt, it is 
said, to molest the older birds. Their flight is low and 
heavy, and generally in a straight horizontal line. They 
perch in groups of eight or ten together, on the summits 
of the loftiest trees, and are seen in almost constant 
motion, hopping from branch to branch with the 
greatest quickness. In flying, the point of their beak 
is directed forwards, and this position, together with 
its extreme lightness, prevents it from overbalancing 
their body. Their tongue, from its flexibility, is quite 
useless as a means of guiding their food to its proper 
destination. It is for this reason that in feeding they 
first seize the morsel, whatever it may be, either with 
the sides or point of the bill, and then jerking it up- 
wards in the air let it fall at once into their widely- 
distended throat. They build their nest in the hollows 
of trees, and lay but two eggs at a time.* 

The predominant hue of the plumage of these birds 
is black on the upper parts, the lower portion being 
varied with either white, yellow, or red. 

* Menagerie of the Zoological Society, Bennet. 





1 





frats. 

There is not in the whole class of birds a more 
remarkable group than that which now claims our 
attention. Whether we regard the singularity of the 
habits of some, the gorgeousness and extreme variety 
of their colours, their clamorous chattering and 
screaming, their mischievous propensities, their dex- 
terity in climbing, amongst the branches of trees, or 
the intelligence that is apparent in the expression of 
their eye, we are amazed at their peculiarities, and 
can only compare them to the monkey tribe amongst 
the Mammalia, whose representatives they appear to 
be among the feathered race. 

The JPsittacicLce are an exceedingly numerous 
family. The greater part of them are forest birds, 
living upon the produce of the trees, though some 
of them are altogether ground birds, and find their 
food there. They are principally inhabitants of those 
countries that lie within the tropics, and are almost 
exclusively vegetable-feeders, the kernels' of frjiits 
and the buds of flowers of trees being . the - chief 
sources on which they depend for their nourishment ; 
they could not therefore subsist in those countries 
where for several months in the year the trees are 
devoid both of leaves and fruit. The luxuriance of 
vegetation in tropical countries is very great, and 
there i3 a constant succession of food for the Parrots ; 
but should this fail in one district, they are amply 


2 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


provided with the means of conveyance to another, 
though that may be at a considerable distance. Their 
wings are long and powerful, and they occasionally 
perform long journeys, when driven by a scarcity of 
food to a different part of the country. Their pecu- 
liar construction is so beautifully adapted to their 
wants and to their haunts, that they are enabled to 
climb and scramble over the trees with the greatest 
rapidity, and to scrutinize every twig with the same 
perseverance as the ruminating animals show in 
browsing their pastures. They associate in large 
docks, and although the depredations that they com- 
mit among the buds, dowers, and fruits may be con- 
siderable, w r e must take into consideration the prolidc 
tendency of nature in these climes, and may conclude 
that a benedcial service is also performed by these 
birds in keeping under the destructive exuberance 
of the trees, whose luxuriance might otherwise be 
checked by the very excess of their own fruitfulness. 
The propensity to gnaw wood into chips, which they 
do, not for the sake of food, but apparently out of 
mere wantonness, no doubt answers some purpose in 
nature, and may, it has been observed, contribute not 
a little to the more rapid decay of dead trees, by 
enlarging the holes in their trunks, and thus rain is 
admitted and retained, and the tree is very speedily 
reduced to dust. 

As we have before observed, the whole may be 
said to live upon vegetable food. Among the greater 
number this food is the kernels of fruits, and those 
fruits w r hich have large seeds, enclosed in a hard shell 
or nut within the pericarp, appear to be the favourites 


PARROTS. 


3 


with them. They find these upon many of the palms, 
upon the wild almonds, and upon various other trees. 
In order to enable them to open the valves of these 
nuts, it is obvious that a peculiar mechanism must 
be required, as many of them are exceedingly com- 
pact and hard. This is not done by mere random 
force, but by an application of the powers of the bill, 
in a manner so perfect that the bird is enabled to 
break the shell and get at the kernel with a very 
small degree of labour. The bill is not a snapping 
bill, but works wholly by pressure; and its opera- 
tions are assisted considerably by the short muscular 
tongue, which guides the substance to the most effec- 
tive part of the mandibles. 

The curvature of the upper mandible, and the cell* 
at its base in some of the birds, give it somewhat the 
character of a rapacious beak, but it is applied to a 
totally different purpose. The notch in the upper 
mandible, observes Mr. Swainson, so analogous to 
that of a rapacious bird, is not used to tear the food, 
but acts as a rest for those hard nuts which are to 
be cracked and broken by the great muscular force 
of the under mandible.* When the shell or kernel 
is introduced into the bill, it is placed by the tongue 
against the hook of the upper mandible, in the very 
best position for the application of the lower man- 
dible, by means of which the valves are to be sepa- 
rated. This is done solely by the touch of the tongue, 
for the bill has no sensibility, and it is impossible that 
the eye can be of any assistance. When the shell 
is broken, the tongue still presses the kernel against 

* Classification of Birds. 


4 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


the hook of the upper mandible, and thus allows the 
lower one to be opened, so that the fragments of the 
shell may be rejected. 

For the accomplishment of this action in the lower 
mandible, it is supplied with a set of very powerful 
muscles, and it has a sliding or grinding motion, 
which differs with the degree of exertion. It is 
pushed a little forwards at the same time that it is 
raised by the muscles. The upper mandible has 
much less motion than the lower, but still it has more 
than in most birds. 

To prevent any concussion which might be com- 
municated to the brain, the upper mandible is articu- 
lated with the bones of the cranium, and not united. 
In consequence of this, the upper mandible is sus- 
ceptible of some motion on its base ; and this motion 
not only prevents the concussion from being propa- 
gated to the brain, but enables this organ to exert a 
much more powerful effect than it would have, if the 
upper mandible were so firmly united at its base as 
to be incapable of motion. The bill thus not only 
becomes a powerful crunching instrument, but is ren- 
dered effective likewise in taking hold with a firm 
gripe of small boughs, to assist the bird in its pro- 
gress amongst them. To render the upper mandible 
more effective as a rest against the pressure of the 
lower one, the under side is slightly hollowed towards 
the hook, and roughened like a millstone, by means 
of angular furrows, with their apices directed towards 
the tip. 

There are several variations in the form of the bill 
in this numerous family. The Paroquets have the 


PAEEOTS. 


O 


bill considerably smaller in proportion than the 
others, not exceeding one-third the length of the 
head, and not very broad, but it is firm in its texture, 
and perhaps proportionably the most powerful of any. 
The Parrots properly so-called, which are the most 
scandent, have it half the length of the head, and 
very thick and strong. The Cockatoos, which inhabit 
marshy places and live upon softer food than the 
others, have the bill feeble. The Maccaws, which use 
the wing more than any of the others, and find much 
of their food in the tops of forest trees, have the bill 
large, as long as the head, and very sharp pointed. 

The tongue is likewise subject to considerable vari- 
ation of structure. In most of the birds of this 
family it is thick, fleshy, and of uniform structure 
throughout ; in others, it terminates in a brush- 
like bundle of filaments ; and in a third modification, 
consists merely of a somewhat horny snbstance, 
supported by a cylindrical extensile and retractile 
pedicle. 

An extensive modification of structure is observed 
in the feet of these birds in conformity with their pe- 
culiar climbing habits. Their articulations are so 
loose, and yet are so well supplied with muscular 
strength, that they have the most varied and firm 
powers of prehension of any of the Scans ores. The 
toes are in pairs, but all of them are free to their 
bases, and the exterior hinder toe is capable of con- 
siderable lateral motion. The Parrot climbs, it is well 
known, by clutching with its feet, assisted by the gripe 
of its bill; and its pasture is among the sprays or 
smaller twigs of large spreading trees, which inter- 


6 


EEATJTirUL BIRDS. 


twine each other at the extremities of larger houghs. 
The bird has to make its way through this tangled 
brake by means of its prehensile limbs alone, as its 
wings would evidently he of little service here. Con- 
sequently the organization most essential to this 
habit is the one which enables it to get most readily 
from twig to twig without the use of its wings in any 
other way than partially opened, to assist in keeping 
its balance. 

The foot, to possess this property, must have the 
whole of its prehensile action in the toes; and the 
legs, instead of maintaining one invariable position in 
assisting the foot in holding on (as is the case with the 
Woodpecker), must be free to move to its utmost 
stretch in all directions. It is also evident that unless 
the Parrot could hold on by one foot, and hold on with 
that foot in any direction, above it, below it, or laterally, 
it could not make its way.* 

To accomplish these 
purposes, the joints in 
the leg and foot of the 
Parrot have a rolling or 
oblique motion in all 
directions, particularly 
outwards, as that is the 
position most required 
for readily laying ‘hold 
with one foot, while the 
other retains its grasp. 

It is on account of this peculiar adaptation of the 
feet to the climbing habits of the bird that the gene- 

* Mudie’s Natural History of Birds. 



PARROTS. 


7 

rality of Parrots are unable to walk with ease upon 
the ground. Some species there are which live habitu- 
ally upon the ground, but these have much less motion 
of the joints at the articulation of the tarsus with the 
toes than is prevalent amongst the climbing Parrots. 
The tarsi of the ground Parrots are much longer in 
proportion, and the articulations of the toes are alto- 
gether firmer, so that some of the species can run 
upon the ground with a facility approaching to that of 
the gallinaceous tribes. 

In the variety of their colours, few birds equal the 
Parrots; their plumage is generally of remarkable 
brilliancy and splendour. It is firm in its texture and 
not easily ruffied, qualities essentially requisite, con- 
sidering the nature of their haunts. Their wings are 
powerful, though not altogether adapted to keep the 
bird in the air for any length of time. The feathers 
are not so constructed as to take hold on the air, like 
those of the long-flying birds. The tail varies in 
length and shape, but it is generally lengthened and 
wedge-shaped. Although in a state of nature they 
are wild birds, and are of little use to man, yet they are 
susceptible of being tamed, and, with proper treatment, 
may be kept in confinement for many years, when 
they show a very considerable degree of attachment 
to those who feed and are otherwise kind to them. 
Owing to the very great difficulty of approaching 
their haunts, but very little is known of the Parrot in 
a state of nature. It is known, however, that they 
inhabit forests ; that many of them are social birds, 
often rising from the trees in large flocks, and laying 
the cultivated fields under pretty severe contributions ; 


8 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


that their principal food is vegetable ; that they nestle 
chiefly in the holes of trees, having two broods in the 
year ; and that they are very noisy withal : but this is 
nearly all that is known of these birds in wild nature. 

The whole family has been divided into the following 
sub-families, viz., Jblacrocercince , Maccaws ; Psittacince , 
Parrots ; Plyctolophince , Cockatoos ; Poriance , Lories ; 
and Platycercince , Broadtails or Loriets. 

The Platycercince compose Mr. Swainson’s fissiros- 
tral division of the family, and are considered by him 
as analogous to the fissirostral tube of the Insessores. 
They are less arboreal in their habits than others of the 
family, and are distinguished, says Mr. Selby, from the 
rest of the Psittacidce by their slender and elevated 
tarsi, and the less falcated form of their claws. Their 
wings also are shorter, and rounded, the first quill- 
feather being inferior to some of the succeeding ones. 
In consequence of this formation, their habits are less 
strictly scansorial than those of the typical Parrots ; 
but the deficiency is amply compensated by the ease 
and agility with which they move upon the ground, 
where their actions partake in a great measure of that 
freedom which distinguishes so many of the scansorial 
order, but which is almost denied to the typical 
Parrots, whose movements upon a plain surface are to 
a great degree awkward and constrained. The Platy - 
certiiue are birds of elegant and graceful form, and 
their carriage and actions are in accordance with it, 
as they display an activity and liveliness of motion far 
superior to that of the true scansorial species, and 
more in character with that of other birds. In rich- 
ness and diversity of plumage also, they yield to none 


PARROTS. 


9 


of the tribe, whether we admire it in the varied hues 
of the genus Platycercus or in those smaller species 
belonging to the genus Nanodes , which have aptly 
been termed miniature Maccaws. 

Even among the splendid family of the Parrots, 
Mr. Bennett observes, the Maccaws claim a pre-eminent 
rank for their superior size and the brilliancy and 
variety of their colours. They are at once distin- 
guished by the nakedness of their cheeks, which are 
furnished at the utmost with a few minute lines of 
scattered hairs or feathers ; by the great length and deep 
curvature of their upper mandible, and the extreme 
brevity of the lower, which latter is generally indented 
on either side with a notch of greater or less extent, 
corresponding to an elevated tooth in the former ; and 
by the prolongation and regular graduation of their 
tail, which is larger than the rest of their body. The 
elegance of their plumage, the singularity of their 
deportment, their mildness of temper and docility in 
captivity, render them peculiar favourites ; but they 
are by no means equal to most of the other divisions 
of the Parrot tribe in activity, in intelligence, in 
familiarity, or in the imitative power of their voice. 

The Blue and Yellow Maccaw ( Macrocercus ararauna) 
is one of the most conspicuous examples of the group. 
It is a large species (though not the largest of the 
Maccaws), measuring nearly three feet in length. 
Like all the other species of the group, it is a native 
of the tropical regions of America. It is fond of rich 
and marshy places, where it roosts generally on the 
tall palm trees, and lives in great part on their fruits. 
As is the case with its congeners, it generally keeps in 


10 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


pairs, or at most in the family pack, for a short time 
after the young are capable of using the wing. It 
sometimes happens, however, that the rains fail or are 
later in coming than usual, and at such times the 
forest supply gives way, and their closest inhabitants 
are compelled to range abroad for subsistence. This 
is sometimes the case with the Blue and Yellow Mac- 
caw's, and where it is the case, they assemble in flocks, 
take a lofty flight, and give notice of their approach by 
the loudness of their scream. They are birds of very 
powerful wing, and have much command of themselves 
in the air. Their wings are very pointed, and their 
tail exceedingly long, stiff, and wedge-shaped. When 
they alight on their journeys, in order to rest for the 
night, or for a time, it is always on the tops of the 
loftiest trees, and they never alight without whirling 
round and round in the air, as if in order to ascertain 
whether any danger be near, before they take their 
repose; and while they are reposing it is generally 
understood that they have a watch set, which never 
fails to give timely warning in case of necessity. 

Although they may inhabit the same localities with 
other species of the same genus, it is said that they 
never mingle with them, but, on the contrary, are at 
open war with them when they happen to meet, like 
two hostile marauding companies of troops. 

They nestle in the holes of trees, have two hatches 
in the year, and two young at each hatch. 

The colours of this species are remarkably distinct : 
all the upper parts, from the forehead to the extremity 
of the tail, including the sides of the head and the 
upper surface of the wings, are of a bright blue, with 


PARROTS. 


11 


a slight tinge of green ; the under parts, from the 
breast downwards, are of a light orange-yellow ; and 
the throat is of a dusky black, with a faint greenish 
shade. The blue of the fore part of the head has a 
more decided tinge of green. The naked cheeks have 
their white suffused with a slight roseate blush, and 
are marked by three, or sometimes more, transverse 
lines of minute blackish feathers. In the female, the 
colours are still more vivid, and the tail is also some- 
what longer in proportion ; but the relative size of the 
bird is a trifle less. The bill, which is remarkably 
hooked and pointed in the upper mandible, is black ; 
the feet are dusky. 

The Parrots, properly so called, and which are some- 
times considered the typical group of the family, are 
distinguished by their comparatively stout and gene- 
rally even tail. The bill, though very powerful and 
strong, is more elongated than in the Maccaws, and 
Cockatoos ; the head is large, and the face, with some 
few exceptions, covered with feathers. The species 
are found distributed in Asia, Africa, and America, 
and are all inhabitants of the torrid zone. Many are 
gregarious, except during the period of incubation. 
They breed in the hollows of decayed trees, and most 
of the species are supposed to lay only two white eggs, 
which are incubated alternately by both sexes. In 
disposition they are the most docile of the family, and 
possess the power of imitating the human voice in as 
great or perhaps greater perfection than any of the 
other divisions. 

Another group of this family contains the Cock- 
atoos, so called from the usual call-note of the species . 


12 


BEATJTIEUL BIRDS. 


They are readily distinguished from the other groups 
of the Psittacidce by their light and uniform colour^ 
which is white generally, or tinged more or less, 
according to the species, with sulphur-yellow or rose- 
red, by their peculiar-shaped crest, and by their short 
and even tail. The bill is massive and powerful. 
They are natives of Australia and the Indian isles, 
where they inhabit the woods and forests of those 
luxuriant climes. They feed upon the seeds of various 
trees and plants, being able, with their powerful bill, 
to break the stones of the hardest fruits. We are 
disposed to consider this the typical group of the 
family. 

There is yet another division of the JPsiltacidce , 
consisting of the Lories ( Loriance ), natives of conti- 
nental India and its islands. Many of them are of 
great beauty and highly interesting manners ; they 
are, however, more delicate in their nature than others 
of the family, and, owing to the very great difficulty 
of preserving them alive away from their native coun- 
tries, where they are abundant, they are not often 
seen in Europe. The name “Lory,” by which the 
whole are popularly designated, is, like the word 
“ Cockatoo,” the call-note of some of the species. 
Their principal colours are red and green. They have 
the general characters of the Parrots, but greatly 
modified in conformity with their difference of habit. 
The bill is still much hooked in the upper mandible, 
and the lower one is slightly arched in the ridge, but 
longer than it is deep. It is a much smaller bill in 
proportion than that of a Parrot, and is generally 
without a notch or tooth ; the under side of the upper 


PARROTS. 


13 


mandible is without the strong palatal ridge and 
roughness which are observed in the Hard-mouthed 
Parrots, as they have been termed. 

The tongue of the Lories is very different to that 
of the generality of Parrots; instead of being full 
and smooth at the point, it is slender, soft in its con- 
sistency, more or less covered with projecting papillae, 
and sometimes these papillae form an absolute brush 
at its extremity. We find a somewhat similar tongue 
in those birds of a different order which sip or sup 
the nectar of flowers, and we may conclude that such 
in part is the use of this structure of tongue in the 
Lories. The honey of flowers and the sweet juices 
of pulpy fruits are the substances upon which the 
Lories feed ; and the countries which they inhabit 
abound greatly in such substances. 

The plumage, instead of being firm and scaly, as 
in the Parrots, is soft and downy, excepting on the 
wings and their coverts, and is therefore less adapted 
to withstand exposure to rough usage either in the 
forest or the air. 

One of the most beautiful species is the Papuan 
Lory ( Pyrrhodes JPcipuensis ) ; to great elegance of 
form this species unites a plumage of the richest 
description, the ground-colour of the body being of 
a deep but brilliant scarlet, relieved in parts with 
deep azure-blue, yellow, and green. The tail, or at 
least the two narrow central feathers greatly exceed 
the rest of the body in length, as they measure up- 
wards of eleven inches, while the former does not 
exceed six; the lateral feathers are regularly gra- 
duated, as in the other Lories. The bill is of an 


14 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


orange-red colour; The elongated tail-feathers are 

o o 

pale grass-green, passing towards the tips into pale 
yellow ; the lateral have their basal half dark green, 
the remainder deep saffron-yellow. This lovely spe- 
cies is a native of Papua and other parts of New 
Guinea, but little is known of its history or peculiar 
habits. 

There is a beautiful species, a native of New Hol- 
land, called the Blue-bellied Lorikeet (Trichoglossus 
Swainsoni ) . It is found in large flocks wherever the 
various species of Eucalypti abound, the flowers of 
those trees affording an abundant supply of food to 
this as well as to other species of the nectivorous 
Parrots. It is an inhabitant of the plains, not of hilly 
districts; is called War-rin by the natives, and its 
flesh is highly esteemed. Total length of the bird, 
thirteen inches, of which the tail occupies six ; bill 
orange-yellow ; head and throat of a fine bluish-purple, 
the feathers rigid and subulate ; lower neck and breast 
bright vermilion-red, passing on the side of the neck 
into rich King’s yellow ; middle of abdomen of a deep 
imperial purple, the feathers towards the sides ver- 
milion, tipped with vivid green ; hypochondria green, 
the basal part of the feathers marked with vermilion 
and yellow ; tibial feathers vermilion-red ; under tail- 
coverts, with the base of the feathers, red, the middle 
part yellow, the tips green ; under wing-coverts rich 
vermilion-red ; margin of the wings and all the upper 
plumage bright grass-green ; the feathers upon the 
lower part of the back of the neck, with their bases, 
vermilion margined with yellow ; tail, with the four 
middle feathers, entirely green, the remainder of the 


PARROTS. 


15 


lateral feathers, with part of the inner web, rich yellow, 
increasing in extent to the outermost, where the whole 
of the w'eb, with the exception of a small spot at the 
tip, is of that colour; quills, with the inner w r ebs, 
dusky, and each with a large oval central spot of 
King’s yellow, forming a broad fascia on the under side 
of the wings ; legs and toes grey, the lateral mem- 
branes broad ; the claws strong and greatly hooked.* 
Such is the gorgeous plumage of this splendid bird. 

The Carolina Parrot (Psittacus Carolinensis) is a 
native of the southern districts of the United States, 
-frequenting the low alluvial grounds along the Ohio 
and Mississippi, where the cockle-bur (Xanthium stru - 
marium) grows in abundance, on the fruit of which it 
feeds, extricating the seeds from the prickly shells ; it 
adds, however, grain, fruits, apples, mulberries, grapes, 
etc., to the bill of fare, and as it associates in flocks, 
the farmer often suffers from its depredations. It 
must not be supposed that these flocks commit their 
ravages with impunity, the gun thins their numbers ; 
and as the living birds sweep screaming around their 
dead and wounded companions, and settle again in the 
place of danger, the whole flock is sometimes almost 
entirely extirpated. The flight of this species is rapid, 
graceful, and direct, and a general cry is kept up by 
the whole party while on the wing. The movements 
of these birds on the ground are slow and embarrassed, 
but on trees or tall strong plants they are very active, 
climbing about and hanging in every attitude. They 
roost in hollow trees, and incubate in similar cavities, 
many females, as Audubon assures us, depositing their 

* Naturalists’ Library, vol. vi. 


16 


BEAUTIFUL EIKDS. 


eggs together. From the same observer we learn that 
these birds are fond of saline earth, and visit the 
different salt-licks interspersed through the woods- 
They delight also in 'rolling themselves in the sand, for 
which purpose they often alight in flocks along the 
gravelly banks of rivers and creeks, and in other 
situations. 









The Picidcc, or Woodpeckers, are a very remarkable 
and numerous family. They are appointed to search 
for and subsist upon those insects or grubs which un- 
dermine the bark of trees, or bore into the sapless 
wood of such as are in a state of decay or have 
already ceased to derive nutriment from the ground. 
A remarkable peculiarity, of character is given to 
these birds, to enable them to procure their appro- 
priate food, which is secure against the attacks of 
every other bird or animal. The healthy tree has 
but little attraction for them, it is the aged, death- 
stricken tree that is the province of the Woodpecker. 
Here the insect tribes find ample room, within the 
interstices and chinks of the dried wood and b^rk, to 
spread and multiply their race, and perforate with 
their tiny jaws the solid trunk of the largest tree ; 
and here it is that the birds of this family exert 
their peculiar powers and labour for their food. 

In order that they may be enabled to procure these 
insects, it is evident that some extraordinary means 
must be resorted to. They have to climb the vertical 
trunk ; to cling to the bark with a firm hold, whilst 
they are engaged hammering with their hard bill 
against the bark or wood, until they have disturbed 


2 


WOODPECKERS. 


the insects, or punched away the intervening portion 
of the wood. 

Considerable strength of foot and power of grasp- 
ing or clinging is requisite, in order Jiat sufficient 
support should be obtained for the body in its per- 
pendicular or spiral ascent of the bark of a tree. We 
accordingly find that, although short, the Woodpecker’s 
feet are remarkably strong ; two toes are directed 
backwards, and two are placed in front, these latter 
being joined together at their bases, and the whole of 
them being firmly articulated 
at the joints. In the typical 
species, the exterior hinder 
toe is considerably lengthened, 
so much so as to be longer 
than the longest toe in front. 
The claws are strong and 
Those in front serve to suspend the 
weight of the bird, and those which are directed 
backwards have their principal action in tightening 
the hold of them. As an additional support, the tail- 
feathers, which are remarkably firm in their texture, 
terminate in rather firm points, which being pressed 
against the bark are of very great assistance to the 
bird in his perpendicular attitude. The legs are 
placed behind the centre of gravity, so that the weight 
of the bird assists in compressing the claws in the 
fissures of the bark, and presses the tail against the 
tree under them ; and while the centre of gravity 
remains higher than the feet the bird is stable, with- 
out that exertion of the body which would prevent the 



much hooked. 


WOODPECKERS. 


3 


use of the beak and of the wings, if these should be 
necessary.. But if the head were turned downwards, 
or the boaV . 1 en much out of the upright position, 
the principle of stability would be changed into a 
cause of falling. Hence, though these birds can run 
upwards, they come down backwards only, and that 
rather slowly and awkwardly ; and they can get round 
only in an ascending spiral, hence they beat and hunt 
the trees from the roots upwards.* 

The bill being required for the performance of a 
peculiar and laborious operation, that of punching or 
picking into the bark or alburnum of trees, is accord- 
ingly adapted in the most beautiful manner for such 
a purpose. It is, in the typical species, perfectly 
wedge-shaped ; both mandibles are of such an equal 
size and thick- 
ness, that, 
when closed, 
the commis- 
sure (or line 
made by the 
joining of the 
two together) 
is perfectly in 
the middle ; the bill gradually becomes smaller from 
the base, and its circumference would be cylindrical 
were it not for certain ridges, which form little pro- 
jecting angles, so that its section appears nearly 
hexagonal ; the end has not a sharp point, but a per- 
pendicular edge, like that of a wedge or hatchet.f 
This particular structure is not observed in the Green 

# Feathered Tribes of the British Islands. t Swainson. 



4 


WOODPECKERS. 


Woodpecker ( Chrysopterus viridis ) of this country, 
but it is seen in the greater and lesser spotted species. 

The tongue has also a peculiar formation ; it is vermi- 
form, or worm-like, barbed at its point like the head 
of an Indian spear, and is capable, by means of the 
curious construction of its muscles, of being thrown 
out to a great length. In order to convey some notion 
of the manner in which this is effected, we have copied 
the figure given in Dr. Roget’s Bridgewater Treatise, 
with the accompanying description and explanation. 



The figure represents the head of the Woodpecker 
with the skin removed, and the parts dissected. The 
tongue, a , is supported on a slender os hyoides , or 
lingual bone, to the posterior end of which the ex- 
tremities of two very long and narrow cartilaginous 
processes are articulated. The one on the right side 
is shown in the figure nearly in the whole extent of its 
course at b, c, d, e, and a small part of the left carti- 
lage is seen at f. The two cartilages form, at their 


WOODPECKERS. 


5 


junction with the tongue, a very acute angle, slightly- 
diverging as they proceed backwards, until bending 
downwards at b, they pass obliquely round the sides of 
the neck, connected by a membrane, g ; then, being 
again inflected upwards, they converge towards the 
back of the head, where they meet, and, being enclosed 
in a common sheath, are conducted together along a 
groove, which extends forwards, along the middle 
line of the cranium, d, till it arrives between the eyes. 
From this point the groove and the two cartilages it 
contains, which are now more closely conjoined, are 
deflected towards the right side, and terminate at the 
edge of the aperture of the right nostril, e, into which 
the united cartilages are finally inserted. In order 
that their course may be seen more distinctly, these 
cartilages are represented in the figure at c, drawn out 
of the groove provided to receive and protect them.* 
These cartilages are put in action by a long and slen- 
der muscle attached to the inner margin of each, and 
a counteraction is caused by another set of fibres 
passing in front of the anterior portion of the 
cartilages. The cartilages themselves are nearly as 
elastic as steel springs, and thus a considerable ex- 
pense of muscular power is saved, and the bird is 
enabled to protrude and withdraw its lengthened 
tongue with great rapidity and but little effort. 

In the cut, h is the salivary gland which secretes a 
glutinous fluid, with which the tongue is overspread, 
and by means of which, it is said, ants and simi- 
lar small insects adhering to it are drawn into the 
bill ; but whether this be so or not, there is another 

* Animal and Vegetable Physiology, Dr. Roget. 


6 


WOODPECKERS. 


method by which the Woodpecker takes its prey. The 
tongue is terminated by a horny, thorn-like point, 
which, when the tongue is protruded, transfixes the 
insect, and the cartilaginous barbs with which it is armed 
prevent the insect from disengaging itself, let it struggle 
never so violently. The tongue is immediately with- 
drawn into the bill, and the insect is removed by 
means of a fringe of hairs pointed backwards and 
placed in the back of the palate, and surrounding a 
longitudinal groove. It is supposed that in detaching 
the transfixed insect the horny end of the tongue is 
pointed to the back of the throat, and then being 
brought forward into its usual position, the fringe 
detaches the prey from the barbs.* 

The muscles which move the bill and head are ca- 
pable of very powerful action, and by their means the 
bird is enabled speedily to punch a hole in the wood 
even of a living tree. The rapidity with which a 
Woodpecker pecks away at its work is almost, incre- 
dible, the strokes cannot be counted, nor is it easy to 
detect the motion of the head and neck. 

The main office for which the structure of a Wood- 
pecker has to be adapted, says Mr. Mudie, is that of 
maintaining with the under part of the body a verti- 
cal position on the bark of a tree, in such a manner as 
to have the head, the neck, and the spine, as far as the 
lumbar vertebrae (which have a little more motion in 
this bird than in some others), perfectly free, so that 
the point of the bill may command the largest possible 
surface which is compatible with the length of the 
neck, or move with that force and velocity which are 

* Bewick. 


WOODPECKERS. 


7 


necessary for hewing holes in the wood with the 
greatest certainty and expedition. For this purpose 
the long sternum and coracoids, with the keel and 
furcal bone on the exterior side of them, form a flat 
arc with its chord ; the former applied to the tree, so 
that the fixed point upon which the head and neck 
move in pecking may be brought nearer to the surface, 



or moved farther from it, according as may be neces- 
sary. If this part (which may be called the base of 
the bird when in action) had been straight, there 
would have been more stability in one position, but it 
would have been only in one, and in that one only 
where the vertical line of the bark happened to be 
straight, which is not often Ihe case in- those gnarly 
and decaying trees which afford the fattest pastures 
for Woodpeckers. This, however, would have made the 
bird work at a disadvantage in excavating a hole to 
any considerable depth, because, if the position of 
the centre of action had been immovably adjusted to 
any one distance, the action of the bird would have 
been less effective at every other; but the arched 
form of the keel enables the bird to keep the centre of 
action always adjusted for the maximum effect, and 
that with so slight a motion of the steady or pectoral 
part of its body, that it can hardly be perceived. 


8 


WOODPECKEKS. 


A very little extension of the tarsal joints brings 
the centre of action more to the tree, and a very- 
little bending of the same joints removes it farther 
away. Nor is this ready adaptation of the centre to 
the greatest effect of the stroke the only result of that 
action of the tarsal joints by which it is produced ; 
for there is the same nice adjustment of the degree of 
hold taken on the bark to the varying stability of the 
position. When the centre of action is removed to 
the greatest distance, the centre of gravity is thrown 
furthest out, in proportion to the line of the axis, and 
therefore the weight tends more to pull the bird from 
the bark ; but the very same action of the tarsal 
joints which produces this causes the claws to take a 
firmer hold of the bark, and also the stiff feathers of 
the tail to bear more against it as a support. So also, 
when the centre of action is brought nearer to the 
tree, and the hold by the foot not so much required, 
the same extension of the tarsal joint which brings 
the axis more parallel to the tree eases the clutch of 
the foot in exactly the same proportion. 

Thus, by one of the most beautiful instances of the 
harmony of parts with each other, the Woodpecker is 
enabled to work with equal stability and effect, while 
the axis of the body is at all possible angles to the 
line of the tree, within the range that is necessary for 
its habit ; and yet the different parts of this very 
curious and apparently complicated organization are 
so flexible to other purposes, that the Woodpecker can 
at once become a wing-bird or a ground-bird, when 
such a habit is necessary.* 

* Natural History of Birds. 


WOODPECKERS. 


9 


It is thus that the "Woodpecker is fitted to perform 
his peculiar functions in the economy of nature ; it is 
thus that he is enabled to seize those insects that lie 
beneath the bark of a tree, to quarry out those that 
are within the solid wood, and even to dig a mine 
there large enough for its own nidification. 

The Picidce , or Woodpeckers, with the exception of 
the Parrots, form the most extensive group among the 
Scansores. They are distributed over most parts of 
the world; America, however, produces the greatest 
number. Her vast and solitary forests affording at 
once a secluded retreat and ample food for their 
sustenance. 

All the species are solitary, living in pairs only 
during the season of incubation, or are met with in 
small flocks, the amount of the year’s brood, in the 
end of autumn, before they have separated. This 
solitary habit, and their haunts being generally gloomy 
and retired, has given rise to the opinion entertained 
by many, that the life of the Woodpecker is hard and 
laborious, dragged on in the same unvaried tract for 
one purpose — the supply of food. It has been painted 
in varied and imaginary colouring, and its existence 
has been described to be painful and burdensome in 
the extreme; its cries have been converted into com- 
plaints, and its search for food into exertions of no 
use. The cry of the Woodpecker is wild, and, no 
doubt, the incessant hewing of holes without an ade- 
quate object would be sufficiently miserable: these, 
however, are the pleasures of the bird. The know- 
ledge to search after food is given it, and organs most 
admirably formed to prevent exhaustion and ensure 


10 


■WOODPECKERS. 


success have been granted to it. Its cries, though 
melancholy to us, are so from association with the 
dark forests and the stillness which surround their 
haunts, hut perhaps at the time when we judge are 
expressive of the greatest enjoyment. An answer of 
kindness in reply to a mate, the calling together of 
the newly-fledged brood, or exultation over the dis- 
covery of some favourite food, are what are set down 
as painful and discontented.* 

One of the most noble birds of the family is the 
Ivory-billed Woodpecker [Ficus principalis ) . This ma- 
jestic and formidable species, says Wilson, in strength 
and magnitude, stands at the head of the whole class 
(family) of Woodpeckers hitherto discovered. He may 
be called the king or chief of his tribe ; and nature 
seems to have designed him a distinguished character- 
istic in the superb carmine crest and bill of polished 
ivory with which she has ornamented him. His eye 
is brilliant and daring, and his whole frame so ad- 
mirably adapted for his mode of life and method of 
procuring subsistence, as to impress on the mind of 
the examiner the most reverential ideas of the Creator. 
His manners have also a dignity in them superior to 
the common herd of Woodpeckers. Trees, shrubberies, 
orchards, rails, fence-posts, and old prostrate logs are 
alike interesting to these, in their humble and indefa- 
tigable search for prey ; but the royal hunter now 
before us scorns the humility of such situations, and 
seeks the most towering trees of the forest, seeming 
particularly attached to those prodigious cypress 
swamps, whose crowded giant trees stretch their bare 

* Sir W. Jar dine. 


WOODPECKERS. 


11 


and blasted or moss-bung arms midway to tlie skies. 
In these almost inaccessible recesses, amid ruinous 
piles of impending timber, his trumpet-like note and 
loud strokes resound through the solitary savage w r ilds, 
of which he seems the sole lord and inhabitant. 
Wherever he frequents he leaves numerous monuments 
of his industry behind him. We there see enormous 
pine-trees with cartloads of bark lying around their 
roots, and chips of the trunk itself, in such quantities 
as to suggest the idea that half a dozen of axe-men had 
been at work there the whole morning. The body of 
the tree is also disfigured with such numerous and such 
large excavations, that one can hardly conceive it pos- 
sible for the whole to be the work of the Woodpecker. 

According to Audubon, the food of this species 
consists principally of beetles, larvae, and large grubs. 
No sooner, however, are the grapes of our forests ripe 
than they are eaten by the Ivory-billed Woodpecker 
with great avidity. I have seen this bird hang by its 
claws to the vines in the position so often assumed by 
a titmouse, and reaching downwards help itself to a 
bunch of grapes with much apparent pleasure. 

The strength of this Woodpecker, continues the 
same writer, is such, that I have seen it detach pieces 
of bark seven or eight inches in length at a single 
blow of its powerful bill, and, by beginning at the top 
branch of a dead tree, tear off the bark to an extent of 
twenty or thirty feet in the course of a few hours, 
leaping downwards with its body in an upw r ard posi- 
tion, tossing its head to the right and left, or leaning 
it against the bark to ascertain the precise spot where 
the grubs were concealed, and immediately after 


12 


WOODPECKEKS. 


renewing its blows with fresh vigour, all the while 
sounding its loud notes, as if delighted. 

Excepting when digging a hole for the reception of 
their eggs, these birds seldom, if ever, attack living 
trees for any other purpose than that of procuring 
food. They nestle earlier in the spring than any 
other species of the tribe. The hole is, I believe, 
always made in the trunk of a live tree, generally an 
ash or a hagberry, and is at a great height. 

The male and female were frequently observed by 
Mr. Audubon to retire for rest for the night into the 
same hole, in which they had long before reared their 
young. Their mutual attachment is, he believes, 
continued throughout life. 

This species is twenty inches long and thirty inches 
in extent. 

The Red-head Woodpecker {Ficus erytJirocephalus ) is 
also a native of America. It is active and lively, 
migratory in its habits, and beautiful in its general 
appearance. In winter it retires southward, though 
individuals are sometimes found throughout that 
season in Carolina, as also in the States of Pennsyl- 
vania and New York. In the forests and woodlands 
this species is abundant in summer, and it ventures 
near towns, without much apparent apprehension of 
man, though somewhat suspicious of his intentions 
when he approaches them, as Audubon relates. He 
says, that “when” they are “alighted on a fence- 
stake by the road or in a field, and one approaches 
them, they graduallymove sideways out of sight, peeping 
now and then to discover your intention ; and when 
you are quite close and opposite, lie still until you are 


WOODPECKEKS. 


13 


passed, when they hop to the top of the stake and 
rattle upon it with their bill, as if to congratulate 
themselves on the success of their cunning. Should 
you approach within arm’s length, which may fre- 
quently be done, the Woodpecker flies to the first 
stake or the second from you, bends his head to peep, 
and rattles again, as if to provoke you to continue 
what seems to him excellent sport. He alights on 
the roof of the house, hops along it, beats the shingles, 
utters a cry, and dives into your garden to pick the 
finest strawberries he can discover.” They commit as 
great depredations in gardens as any bird can do : 
fruit of every sort they devour with the greatest 
avidity ; apples, cherries, pears, and strawberries, not 
to enumerate others, they seize and carry off to their 
retreats ; they assemble in flocks to lay gardens under 
contribution, so that the bulk of their produce is soon 
cleared away. While the Indian corn is yet unripe 
and filled with its succulent juices, they commence 
their ravages upon it ; and they are said to regale 
themselves upon the eggs of smaller birds. To the 
luxuries we have mentioned they add insects, which 
they hunt out of their hidden retreats in the crevices 
of ancient trees and underneath the perishing bark. 
When their hunger is appeased, they cluster together 
in small parties on the tops and branches of decayed 
trees, where, for dessert, they chase and capture the 
various insects which pass through the air, launching 
after them for eight or ten yards, at times performing 
the most singular manoeuvres ; and on securing their 
victim they return to the tree, where directly after 
a continuous cry of exultation is uttered. They 


14 


WOODPECKERS. 


pursue each other on wing in a very amicable manner, 
in long beautifully curved sweeps, during which the 
remarkable variety of their plumage becomes conspicu- 
ous, and is highly pleasing to the eye. When passing 
from one tree to another, their flight resembles the 
motion of a great swing, and is performed by a slight 
opening of the wings, descending at first, and rising 
towards the .spot on which they are going to alight, 
with ease and in the most graceful manner. 

The Black Snake ( Colubra constrictor) is said by 
Wilson to destroy many of the young of this species. 
It glides up the trunk of the tree, and, like a skulking 
savage, enters the Woodpecker’s peaceable apartment, 
devours the eggs or helpless young, in spite of the cries 
or flutterings of the parents, and, if the place be large 
enough, coils himself up in the spot they occupied, 
where he will sometimes remain for several days. 

The head and neck of this bird are bright crimson ; 
back, wing-coverts, primaries, and tail-feathers black, 
with blue reflections ; rump and secondaries white, 
the shafts of the latter black ; breast and under parts 
white tinged with yellowish-brown ; an irregular 
transverse band of black between the crimson of the 
neck and the white of the breast : length of the bird 
nine inches. 

Of the species which are natives of America the 
Downy Woodpecker ( Dendrocopus pubescens) is the 
smallest in size, and, from its habit of boring and 
digging into apple-trees, has been considered by Buffon 
and some other naturalists as the most destructive of 
its whole genus to the orchards. The American 
ornithologists, however, Wilson and Audubon, do 


WOODPECKERS. 


15 


not accord with this condemnation of the little ham- 
merer. 

The principal characteristics of this species, accord- 
ing to Wilson, are diligence, familiarity, perseverance, 
and a strength and energy in the head and muscles of 
the neck which are truly astonishing. Mounted on 
the infested branch of an apple-tree, where insects have 
lodged their corroding and destructive brood in 
crevices between the bark and wood, he labours some- 
time* for half an hour incessantly at the same spot, 
before he has succeeded in dislodging and destroying 
them. At those times you may walk up pretty close 
to the tree, and even stand immediately below it ? 
within five or six feet of the bird, without in the least 
embarrassing him. The strokes of his bill are distinctly 
heard several hundred yards off; and I have known 
him to be at work for two hours together on the same 
tree. He has a single note, or chicle, which he 
frequently repeats ; and when he flies off or alights 
on another tree, he utters a rather shrilly cry, com- 
posed of nearly the same kind of note quickly reite- 
rated. In fall and winter he associates with the tit- 
mouse, creeper, etc* both in their wood and orchard 
excursions, and usually leads the van. Of all our 
Woodpeckers, continues Wilson, none rid the apple- 
trees of so many vermin as this, digging off the moss 
which the negligence of the proprietor had suffered to 
accumulate, and probing every crevice. In fact, the 
orchard is his favourite resort in all seasons ; and his 
industry is unequalled, and almost incessant, which is 
more than can be said of any other species we have. 
In fall, he is particularly fond of boring the apple-trees 


16 


WOODPECKERS. 


for insects, digging a circular hole through the bark, 
just sufficient to admit his bill, after that a second, 
third, etc., in pretty regular horizontal circles round 
the body of the tree ; these parallel circles of holes 
are often not more than an inch and a half apart, 
and sometimes so close together, that I have covered 
eight or ten of them at once with a dollar. From 
nearly the surface of the gronnd up to the first fork, 
and sometimes far beyond it, the whole bark of many 
apple-trees is perforated in this manner, so as to appear 
as if made by successive discharges of buck-shot. 
This is in a great measure the work of the little 
Downy Woodpecker. 

In length this species is six inches and three quar- 
ters, and its extent twelve inches. It has been gene- 
rally supposed that this bird, and some others of its 
family, feed upon the sap of the trees that it punctures? 
and they have therefore obtained the appellation of 
“Sap-suckers;” but this opinion appears to be 
erroneous. 

The three-toed species exhibit an exception to the 
general zygodactylic form of the 
Woodpecker’s foot. This peculiar 
form may probably enable the bird 
to run along the stem and branches 
of trees with greater facility than 
those which have two toes behind. 
They are inhabitants of America, 
Asia, and Europe. It is the hallux, 
or true hind toe, that is wanting.- 





1. The ~Wrynech. 
2 .The ThiThoticJv. 


MrpcdiS. 


Other nearly allied genera are associated with the 
Woodpeckers, and, from the variation in the structure 
of the bill, support the necessary connection with the 
other families of the tribe. Such is the genus Pogonicis } 
which, from the deep curved form of the bill, seems to 
lead back to the Psittacidce ; and nearly allied to it 
follows that of Bucco, or the Barbets, where the bill 
makes a nearer approach to that of the Woodpeckers. 
The Wrynecks (genus Yunx) are also properly included 
in this family, as well as that group of which the genus 
OxyryncJios is the type.* 

The common Wryneck ( Yunx torquilla ), which 
appears in this country from the south, in the spring, a 
little before the cuckoo, although not possessed of the 
climbing powers of the Woodpeckers, is yet enabled to 
support itself against the trunk of a tree, its toes 
being like theirs arranged in pairs ; but the tail, unlike 
that of the Woodpecker, is soft and flexible. It feeds 
upon small insects, chiefly ants, which it collects from 
the bark of trees or from the ground ; and it is therefore 
provided with a long extensile tongue, armed at the 
tip with a sharp cartilaginous point, but without any 
barbs. The chief food of the Wryneck, Mr. Selby 
observes, consists of ants and their larvae ; and we 
accordingly find that at the period of its arrival the 

* Selby. 

B 


2 


■BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


hybernation of these remarkable insects has yielded 
to the influence of the vernal sun, and the societies 
are busily employed near the surface of their little 
mounds in the various duties so admirably described by 
Huber and the authors of the “Introduction to En- 
tomology.” Its departure is also regulated by the 
same laws, as it leaves us when these insects, upon the 
approach of autumn or cold weather, again retire to the 
recesses of their subterranean habitations. 

The mode by which the Wryneck picks up its food 
has not, it appears, been exactly ascertained. White 
of Selborne says the Wrynecks thrust their bills 
into the turf in quest of ants, which are their food. 
While they hold their bills in the grass, they draw 
out their prey with their tongues, which are so 
long as to be coiled round their heads. Colonel Mon- 
tagu says that the ants are not transfixed by the 
horny point, as some have imagined, but retained by a 
peculiar tenacious moisture, by nature provided for 
that purpose ; while it is feeding the body is motionless, 
the head only is turned to every side, and the motion 
of the tongue is so rapid, that an ant’s egg, which is of 
a light colour, and more conspicuous than the tongue, 
has somewhat the appearance of moving towards the 
mouth by attraction, as a needle flies to a magnet. 
The bill is rarely used except to remove the mould, in 
order to get more readily at these insects ; where the 
earth is hollow, the tongue is thrust into all the cavities 
to rouse the ants ; for this purpose the horny appendage 
is extremely serviceable, as a guide to the tongue. Mr. 
Rennie having procured a young bird of this species, 
placed it in a cage in which was the empty nest of a 


WRYNECKS. 


3 


whitethroat. Some ants with their pupae were thrown 
into the cage, and it was observed that the bird uni- 
formly thrust its tongue between the grass stems of 
the whitethroat’ s nest, to rout out the ants which had 
taken shelter there, and as soon as they were thus 
forced within its reach, it picked them up in the usual 
way with its beak.* 

The Wryneck frequents warm and dry soils. Shy and 
unusually timid, Mr. Knapp observes, as if all its life 
were spent in the deepest retirement away from man, 
it remains through the day in some ditch bank, or basks 
with seeming enjoyment, in any sunny hour, on the ant- 
hills nearest to its retreat ; and these it depopulates 
for food by means of its long glutinous tongue, which 
with the insects collects much of the soil of the heaps, 
as we find a much larger portion of it in its stomach 
than is usually met with in that of other birds. 

The Wryneck breeds in the holes of decayed trees ? 
but is unable to excavate a hole itself, although it may 
be capable of enlarging or otherwise adapting one to 
its purpose. The eggs are numerous, being nine or 
ten, and are deposited upon the bare rotten wood. 
Their colour is pure white. 

* Faculties of Birds. 




The last group of the Scansores consists of those 
birds which are familiarly called Creepers (Certhiadce ) , 
from their habit of creeping about the boles and 
branches of trees, old walls, or other ruinous buildings. 
The members of this family are all climbers, but are 
separated from the preceding groups by the form of 
the feet, which instead of having the toes divided into 
pairs, have them disposed in the usual manner, that is, 
with three toes before and one behind ; their length 
and structure, however (particularly that of the hind 
toe), is such as to render them equally efficient in- 
struments for scaling perpendicular surfaces. In 
some species of the genus Dendrocolaptes , the bill is 
nearly the form of that of the Woodpeckers; and in 

others it is very con- 
siderably modified, in 
accordance with the 
peculiar habit of the 
species. The general 
form of the bill is, 
however, long and 
slender, and usually more or less curved downwards. 

For the structure of foot best adapted for running 
up the perpendicular surface of a wall or trunk of a 
tree we must look to the typical groups of the present 
family, and we shall find that the principal charac- 



CREEPERS. 


5 


teristic features consist in the elongation of the hinder 
toe and claw, and the general curvature and sharpness 
of all the claws, so that they may hitch into the slightest 
inequalities of surface. It is only in the Australian 
genus Climacteris , Mr. Swainson observes, that this ex- 
cessive development of the posterior toe is at its maxi- 
mum ; in this genus, owing to its enormous claw, the 
hinder far exceeds the length of the middle toe, and 
this latter is connected to the one that is external, 
nearly to the end of its first joint. It must, however, 
be observed that those birds which exhibit this great 
development of the hinder toe and claw derive their 
faculty of climbing from these members only; they 
receive no assistance whatever from their tail, which 
is not only destitute of naked points, which charac- 
terise the true Creeper, but are likewise destitute of 
all rigidity, so that, as a means of support, it becomes 
quite useless. When the tail acts as a support to the 
bird in its perpendicular ascent, the hind toe is pro- 
portionately diminished in length. It is in the sub- 
family Certliiancd that the highest development of the 
powers requisite for a scansorial Creeper are dis- 
played. The toes of the common Creeper of this 
country ( Certhia fcmiliaris ) for example, are very 
slender, the inner one considerably the shortest, and 
the hinder one again so lengthened that it equals the 
middle one ; all the claws are large, very slender, and 
acute, but while those in front are greatly curved, that 
behind is much less so. The tail in this species ex- 
hibits a true scansorial structure, the feathers gra- 
dually tapering to a point (a), which are thus enabled 
to enter into the crevices and inequalities of the 


6 


BEAUTIFUL BIBBS. 


bark, so as to obtain a rest whereon to support the 

weight of the 
bird, or, at all 
events, to assist 
in doing so. A 
still greater de- 
velopment of this power is observed in the tail-feathers 
of the genus Oxyurus (b), where the broad inner web 
terminates abruptly, leaving the point of the shaft 
naked. Other varieties of form in the tail-feathers of 
different species of this group of birds will be detected 
by the careful observer, each being adapted to the 
peculiar surface to which it is to be applied. Besides 
the little Tree-Creeper mentioned above, the Nuthatch 
and the Wren are included by Mr. Swainson in this 
family, amongst numerous other exotic species. 

In some of their characters and habits, the Nut- 
hatches (Sitting) bear considerable resemblance to the 
Woodpeckers, from which they differ in being able to 
ascend or descend the trunks of trees with equal readi- 
ness. The strength of their feet, the toes being remark- 
ably large for the size of the bird, enables them to 
cling to small twigs in a manner similar to the Titmice. 

The European Nuthatch ( Sitta Europaed) is a well- 
known native bird, and will serve as an example of this 
sub-family. It is the only species found in Europe, 
or any of the immediately adjacent parts of the world. 
Some few others are found in America and the eastern 
Asiatic islands ; but the species are not numerous. 

As a British bird, the Nuthatch is confined to the 
south of England, and does not seem to have been 
found so far west as Cornwall. It resorts chiefly to 



CREEPERS. 


7 


wooded and enclosed situations, and is in constant ac- 
tivity, searching for insects. It will creep round a branch 
with great facility, picking off the moss occasionally, or 
hammering against the bark. The tail of the Nuthatch 
is not of that firm texture which gives to the Wood- 
pecker such advantage in ascending the tree, but is flex- 
ible and short ; neither does the bird appear to require 
any such assistance, the strength of its claws being suffi- 
cient to support the weight of the body, and the position 
which it assumes, when hammering with its bill, being 
usually with the head downwards. It feeds upon the 
insects and their larvae that infest the bark of trees, 
and also upon nuts, and other hard seeds. Its method 
of arriving at the kernel of hazel-nuts or filberts is 
curious ; having detached the nut from its husk, and 
afterwards fixed it firmly in a crevice of the bark of 
some tree, it places itself above it, with its head down- 
wards, and in this position splits the nut by reiterated 
strokes of its bill. In the autumn, many of these 
broken nutshells may be seen in the open bark of old 
trees, in places where these birds abound, as they return 
repeatedly to the same spot for this purpose. It is not 
improbable that the nuts selected for this operation are 
those which contain a grub, and which have a perfo- 
ration in the shell, and are therefore more readily frac- 
tured. The filbert grub must be a dainty morsel for 
an insectivorous bird. 

The deserted habitation of a Woodpecker is occupied 
by the Nuthatch as a place of nidification ; and in 
order to accommodate the size of the entrance to its 
own dimensions, the hole is contracted by a plaster of 
clay. According to M. Montbeillard, when it cannot 


8 


BEAUTIFUL B1BDS. 


find a hole in a tree suitable to its purposes, it hews 
out an excavation with its bill, if it can meet with a spot 
that is wormeaten. The nest is composed generally of 
dead oak-leaves heaped together without much order. 

The manners of the Carolina Nuthatch (Sitta mela- 
nocephala ) are thus described by Wilson. The White- 
breasted Nuthatch is common almost everywhere in the 
woods of North America, and may be known at a dis- 
tance by the notes quanJc, quanJc, frequently repeated, 
as he moves upward and downward in spiral circles 
around the body and larger branches of the trees, prob- 
ing behind the thin scaly bark of the white oak, and 
shelling off considerable pieces of it in his search after 
spiders, ants, insects, and their larvae. He rests and 
roosts with his head downwards, and appears to possess 
a degree of curiosity not common in many birds, fre- 
quently descending very silently within a few feet of 
the root of a tree where you happen to stand, stooping, 
head downwards, stretching out his neck in a horizontal 
position, as if to reconnoitre your appearance ; and after 
several minutes’ silent observation, wheeling round, he 
again mounts with fresh activity, piping his unisons as 
before. Strongly attached to his native forests, he sel- 
dom forsakes them ; and amidst the rigours of the 
severest winter weather his note is still heard in the 
bleak leafless woods, and among the howling branches. 

Of the true Creepers we have an example in this 
country in the common Creeper ( Gerthia familiar is), 
the only species of its genus found in Europe. It is dis- 
tinguished by a moderately long, slender, compressed, 
curved, sharp-pointed bill ; narrow and tapering tongue, 
which is stiff and rather horny at the tip. Wings round 


CREEPERS. 


9 


and hollow, as in the Woodpeckers ; the fourth and fifth 
feathers longest. Tail also, as in that genus, wedge- 
shaped, and composed of twelve rather stiff sharp- 
pointed Jeathers. The plumage on the upper parts is 
soft and very loose in its texture, the filaments of the 
feathers not adhering ; on the under surface white, silky 
and glistering. Legs short and slender ; the middle 
toe longest ; the inner much shorter than the outer ; 
hinder toe longer than the tarsus, the claw very long, 
and but slightly curved. All the claws very slender, 
the front ones very much curved and extremely sharp- 
pointed. It is common in Europe and North America. 

This curious little bird is everywhere abundantly 
distributed over the British Islands, frequenting 
gardens, parks, and all places where trees are to be 
found. A retired inhabitant of the woods and groves, 
as a pleasing writer describes it, and not in any way 
conspicuous for voice and plumage, it passes days with 
us, scarcely attracting any notice or attention. Its 
small size and the manner in which it procures its 
food both tend to secrete it from sight. In these 
pursuits its actions are more like those of a mouse 
than of a bird, darting like a great moth from tree to 
tree, uttering a faint trilling sound as it fixes upon 
their boles, running round them in a spiral direction, 
when with repeated wriggles having gained the summit, 
it darts to the base of another and commences again. 

The retiring and almost noiseless habits of this 
bird cause it to be but little noticed by those who are 
unacquainted with its faint call of tsint , tsint. It is by 
no means a scarce bird, and may be seen in almost every 
clump of tall trees, as it flits from one tree to another, 


10 


BEAUTIFUL BIBBS. 


or creeps quietly along the outline of the trunk, with 
a rapid uniform motion, its tail bent inwards towards 
the tree, now and then peeping round to take a 
glimpse of the spectator. It will often flutter down 
after it has ascended a few feet, and again alight near 
the ground, ascending the same tree several times in 
different directions. It creeps with wonderful ease 
along or across the lower side of a horizontal bough, 
inserting its slender bill into the cracks and crevices 
of the bark, and there finding abundance of minute 
insects and larvae, chiefly of the coleopterous order, 
which in such situations often lurk in perfect security 
from the attacks of most other insectivorous birds. 
Sometimes the little Creeper may be descried searching 
the topmost branches of a tall tree, anon examining the 
smaller twigs and sprays, and again the same inde- 
fatigable little creature may be seen creeping about 
upon a lichen-covered paling, pulling out minute 
spiders from their lurking-holes, and drawing forth 
the tiny inhabitants of every chink and cranny. 

The Tree Creeper seems to hold on upon the 
vertical bole of a tree much in the manner of a cat, 
by means of its front claws, and can only descend a 
steep declivity in the same way as that animal does, 
backwards ; the form of its claws preventing its taking 
a very firm hold with the head downwards ; and, ac- 
cordingly, though very commonly observed to ascend 
the same tree many times successively in different di- 
rections, it never creeps down again like the Nuthatch, 
but always flutters down again and again as soon as it 
has got to a certain height, and re-alights, as it did the 
first time, near the ground.* 

* British Cyclopaedia. 


CREEPERS. 


11 


The Tree Creeper does not possess the muscular 
power in its feet which is observed in the Nuthatch, 
and its body is therefore supported by the sharply 
hooked front claws, and requires to be further propped 
up by its tail, the stiff pointed feathers of which, 
hitching upon every inequality, furnish, in conjunc- 
tion with the toes, a very efficient support for so light 
a creature, but a support which can only be available 
in an ascending direction. This species is indeed so 
very light, that being held up in great measure by the 
tail, as it creeps up the perpendicular bole of a tree, 
there is hardly sufficient pressure upon the foot to 
cause much contraction of the toes, and it is only 
when on the under surface of a horizontal bough, with 
its nadir uppermost, that the whole weight of the 
bird hangs by the feet ; and the tendons of its legs 
are so admirably constructed, that the greater pull 
there is thus upon them the more closely do the toes 
contract, and the firmer therefore is their hold, so the 
bird is thus able to creep with its back downwards, 
with little or no muscular exertion.* 

The Creeper is incapable of excavating a hole for 
the purpose of nidification, but usually occupies one 
in some decayed tree, often within two or three feet 
of the ground, making a nest of grass and the dry 
inner bark, loosely put together, and lined with feathers. 
The eggs vary in number from seven to nine, and are 
white, speckled with reddish-brown. The male bird 
is said to have a song during the spring months, and 
even in fine weather during the winter, which it utters 
on alighting on a tree, and sometimes whilst creeping 
up a branch. The song is stated to be a faint trill, 

* British Cyclopaedia. 


12 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


somewhat like the song of a chaffinch, but shriller, 
more resembling the rich note of the hedge-chanter. 

We will not particularize the different species of 
which this family is composed, but pass on to the 
aberrant group in Mr. Swainson’s arrangement, viz., 
the Troglodytince, or Wrens. These birds have such 
a slight development of the scansorial powers that 
they have been generally placed with the Warblers. 
So little indeed do the majority of them climb, in 
the true sense of the w T ord, Mr. Swainson remarks, 
that it is only by tracing their close and unquestion- 
able relation to others, in which the scansorial struc- 
ture, and the faculty of exercising it, is more apparent, 
that we arrive at the positive certainty of their be- 
longing to this family. The length and form of the 
bill and the brown plumage of our common species ac- 
cord with the rest of the family ; 
but it is the peculiar length of 
the hind claw which claims 
for this genus a station in 
the same family with Platyurus 
and other American species, 
which have additional scan- 
sorial characters. 

There is a species, Tichodroma muraria , or Wall 
Creeper, which is seldom seen upon trees ; the faces 
of vertical rocks and the walls of old edifices are its 
favourite haunts, where it feeds upon insects, their 
larvae and pupae, particularly spiders and their eggs, 
which it obtains from the clefts and crevices. It is a 
pretty little bird, of a light ash colour, the coverts 
and edges of a part of the wing-quills being bright 



HONEY-EATERS AND NECTAR BIRDS. 


13 


red. The throat of the male is black. It does not 
creep up the -walls like its congeners, but flits from 
point to point, taking a firm hold in an upright posi- 
tion, and searching around for its food with a scru- 
tinising eye. The tail-feathers, not being used like 
those of a true Creeper as a support to the body, are 
not worn at their points or edges. The nest is made 
in clefts of inaccessible rocks and crevices of lofty 
ruins. It is a native of southern Europe. 

Here we close the scansorial tribe of birds. 


Jotupato mtir Ifcrtar 

TENUIROSTRES. 

The tribe to which we now direct our attention will 
not yield to any of the others in interest or beauty. 
It contains some birds of the most splendid plumage, 
as well as the most diminutive in the whole class. 
The great majority subsist upon insects, which it is 
believed they suck up, by means of a filamentous 
tongue, from the nectar of flowers, and on this 
account they are sometimes called suctorial birds, or 
Honey-suckers. In the slender proportion of the bill, 
the shortness of the feet, and the extensile property 
of the tongue, they bear some resemblance to the 
scansorial Creepers. The tongue is long, always re- 
tractile, and instead of being pointed, like that of the 
scansorial insect-feeding bird, is either simply forked 




BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


or divided into several slender filaments, somewhat 
similar to a painter’s brush. The bill in some species 
is so soft and flexible that it is incapable o f grasping 
food, and appears in the typical groups principally 
intended to protect the tongue, as the chief member 
by which life is sustained. In the more typical species, 
as the feet are not required for progression upon the 
ground, or among the twigs or sprays of trees or 
shrubs, but merely for clinging to these latter, or sup- 
porting the bird upon its perch when inclined to rest, 
they are remarkably short and weak. 

The tribe has been divided by Mr. Vigors into the 
following families, viz., Meliphagidce , which are peculiar 
to the Old World; Nectarinida , found only in the New 
World; Trochilidce ; Cinnyridcd ; and P romeropidce : 
each of which will be noticed in its order. 

The group which appears to be most aberrant of 
the tenuirostral birds on the side of the Scansores is 
that which comprises the Honey-suckers (J&eliphagidce ) . 
The food of these birds, as the name indicates, con- 
sists, it is supposed, in a great measure of the nectar 
or honey which is produced within the cups of flowers ; 
and to enable them to procure this the bill is some- 
what lengthened, and the 
tongue is generally termi- 
nated by a bunch of delicate 
filaments. The bill, how- 
ever, exhibits a considerable 
diversity of size and strength, 
but it is generally stronger 
than in any other birds of this tribe, and has the upper 
mandible distinctly notched. The feet are large and 



HONEY-EATERS AND NECTAR BIRDS. 


15 


strong, and the hinder toe much developed. The 
typical genera, observes Mr. Swainson, are small on 
middle-sized birds ; but some of those which are aber- 
rant grow much larger. In the genus JPhiledon , the 
head is nearly bare of feathers, and the neck is sur- 
rounded with a ruff, somewhat similar to that of the 
Vultures ; their size is nearly equal to that of a Jay ; 
the claws are strong and acute. 

The distinguishing peculiarity of these birds con- 
sists in the filamentous or suctorial development of 
the tongue, a form almost peculiar to the Honey- 
suckers of Australia and its islands. The tongue 
itself is not nearly so extensible as in the Trochilidce , 
nor are the bones of the os hyoides carried back upon 
the skull, as in the Woodpeckers and Humming-birds. 
Lewin, who has figured and described many of these 
birds in his work on the “ Birds of New Holland,”’ 
and had an opportunity of observing their habits in 
that country, says that they are sometimes to be seen 
in great numbers constantly flying from tree to tree 
(particularly the blue gum, a species of Eucalyptus ), 
feeding among the blossoms, by extracting the honey 
with their long tongues from every flower which they 
pass. He likewise observed that some of the birds 
of this group also feed upon insects, which they pro- 
cure in a somewhat similar manner to the Woodpecker, 
by picking transverse holes in the bark, between 
which and the wood they insert their long tongue, 
drawing out the insects with great dexterity. 

With respect to the feet of the Meliphagidcd , Mr. 
Swainson remarks that they are generally termed 
scansorial, although they possess only one of the 


16 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


characters belonging to this type, namely, a very 
strong and lengthened hind toe and claw, formed, how- 
ever, as in ordinary perchers. In every other respect 
the feet would indicate (from the length of the tarsus) 
that these birds occasionally frequent the ground, 
although (from the inequality of the lateral toes) 
their chief residence was among trees ; this latter sup- 
position is confirmed by their habits. Their food, as 
already intimated, consists of the nectar of the 
flowering trees of New Holland, which they lick with 
their brush-like tongue, together with such insects as 
frequent the same blossoms. 

The wings of the Honey-suckers are rounded, and 
generally of moderate size. The plumage in general 
is dull, or at least destitute of those brilliant tints 
which are so strikingly developed in the generality of 
birds of this order. 

Peculiar to the warmer continent of the New World, 
as the Sun-birds are to the tropical districts of the Old, 
th e Nectarinidce, or Nectar-birds, are distinguished by 
the bill being in general shorter than the head, wide at 
the base, but compressed from the nostrils. Top of 
the upper mandible with a distinct notch. Wings 
long ; the three first quills nearly equal. The species 
of this family are but few, and their habits but im- 
perfectly known. They do not climb, nor poise them- 
selves upon the wing when searching for food, but hop 
from flower to flower, exploring the nectary of each. 




$o. /. Bixzirved Bead: Bnmmmg Bird. 
2. Icpaj Bumm/ru? Bird/ 






f MTO0 §trk 

TKOCHILIDiE. 

The known species of the numerous family of the 
brilliant little birds called Humming Birds amount to 
several hundreds, and, as their native localities are not 
easily explored, the unknown species are probably 
equal in number. They are the smallest of the 
feathered tribes. They are also the most beautiful, 
as to the texture and colour of their plumage ; the 
most active and graceful ; and, taken altogether, the 
most interesting and curious of the fowls of the au\ 
They are principally, if not exclusively, natives of the 
American continent, here they actually swarm in 
the warmer and more fertile districts. They are not 
however, entirely confined to the tropical portion of 
the country, but are found in high northern latitudes, 
where the climate is not only temperate but cold ; and 
when Captain King was surveying the coast of the 
extreme south of America, he found large flocks of 
Humming Birds flying about in the middle of a snow- 
storm, apparently unaffected by it. 

Humming Birds ( Trochilidce) are ever on the wing 
in search of those minute insects which seek conceal- 
ment as well as food within the flowers which bloom 
so luxuriantly in the warmer regions of America^ 
The central forests of that country,” remarks an 


2 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


elegant writer, “ are festooned with an endless variety 
of climbing plants, usually having the flowers more or 
less hell or trumpet shaped, many of them of large 
dimensions, and of the most splendid colours. Among 
these the flowers of the natural order Bignoniaceae 
appear to claim the special care of the Humming 
Birds. Within the nectared calyx of their splendid 
petals a numerous tribe of insect mites love to seek 
seclusion, and sip the luscious food; for the land of 
Humming Birds is, in an especial manner, also the 
land of insects.” * 

The name of Humming Bird was given to the indi- 
viduals of this family on account of the humming sound 
caused by the rapid motion of their narrow wings 
when suspended in the air, hovering about a flower 
in the manner of some species of dipterous insects in 
this country. The velocity of the movement is so 
great that the wings themselves are not visible ; and 
the bird appears as if hung motionless upon the sound 
itself, while the radiant lustre of its metallic reflections 
constantly varies according to the direction of the 
rays of light. The muscular strength of these little 
creatures is so great, that they continue on the wing 
for a considerable time without inconvenience, indeed, 
they seem rather to gain an impetus for flight by the 
rapid action of their wings, as they instantaneously 
dart from one place to another, upwards, downwards, 
or laterally, without any perceptible effort. 

The Indian name given to these little gems of the 
feathered race is equivalent to “ beams or locks of the 
sun,” in our own tongue. Their colours are so rich 
and brilliant, that they have been said to resemble the 


HUMMING BIRDS. 


3 


lustres of the topaz, of emeralds, and of rubies ; and, in 
a poetical strain, it has been observed that “ the hue 
of roses steeped in liquid fire will scarce depict their 
changing brilliance.” They are as swift on the wing as 
the barbed javelin ; fierce as tigers when opposed, and 
always ready to do battle with any intruder on their 
domains, and combat to the death. Displaying the 
courage and intrepidity of a knight-errant, with breast- 
plate, plume, and coat of mail, the little brilliant levels 
his pointed bill, and rushes on his antagonist. Stimu- 
lated to the highest degree by the excitement, the two 
combatants rise into the air, chirping, darting, and 
circling round each other, until the eye is no .longer 
able to follow them ; at length, one of them falls to 
the ground, exhausted, wounded, or dead. 

In this country we can only be acquainted with a 
portion of their attractions. We are amazed at the 
brilliancy and variety of their colours, and astonished 
at the small dimensions of some of the species ; but to 
see them in their native retreats, amidst the beautiful 
flowers which festoon the ever-verdant forests of 
tropical America, darting about in all directions, like 
meteors of the most enchanting colours, is a gratifica- 
tion which few Europeans are able to enjoy. The 
Indians are not insensible to their beauty, for females 
wear them as ear-drops, and as other adornments to 
their persons. 

We now proceed to inquire into the modification of 
structure required by these active little labourers ; but 
we may remark, in the first place, that they were sup- 
posed, until lately, to live altogether on vegetable 
food ; that they subsisted solely upon the honey which 
b 2 


4 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


they obtained from the nectaries of flowers. It has 
been proved that they feed upon minute insects, and 
it has been doubted whether they partake at all of the 
nectar, it being assumed that their bills are not appli- 
cable to such a purpose. Many eminent naturalists 
still adhere to the opinion that, although they do at 
times feed upon insects, yet they likewise, and prin- 
cipally, subsist upon the vegetable juice secreted within 
the calyx of the flower. We must, however, take into 
consideration an axiom which few will hesitate to 
admit, namely, that all birds are created to perform 
some office calculated to produce beneficial results in 
the economy of the universe, and that the greater 
number of them, which do not serve as food for man, 
are employed in reducing the excess of animal or 
vegetable life; we may then perhaps be justified in 
concluding that Humming Birds do feed chiefly upon 
insects, that their labours are not altogether destitute 
of a beneficial end, and, therefore, not solely conducive 
to the gratification of their appetites. 

The wonderful facility with which these little crea- 
tures perform their varied evolutions in the air, and 
the rapidity with which the strokes of the wings are 
made, require some extraordinary development of these 


organs, and the machinery by 
which they are moved. The 
sternum is remarkably well de- 
veloped, like that of the Swift. 
The keel is perhaps deeper, in 
proportion to the size of the 
whole bone, than in any other 



bird. It is in general without notches or holes at the 


HUMMING BIRDS. 


5 


posterior angles, and is long in proportion to its width, 
and considerably broader in tbe rear than towards the 
front. The furcal bone is, proportionately, weaker 
than the other parts, and is not so perfect in the arch 
as that of the Swift. This is the sternal apparatus of 
a bird that feeds upon the wing, hut has not the long- 
sustained forward flight of the Swift. It is merely 
required to support the bird and its muscular efforts, 
as it darts from flower to flower, or remains suspended 
on the wing in quest of food. The wings have a greater 
resemblance to those of the Swift, than of any other 
bird. They are remarkably long and narrow, reaching 
often beyond the limit of the tail feathers. The exte- 
rior outline of the wing is very much curved, and the 
first quill is always the longest, the other primaries 
gradually shortening. The secondary quills are gene- 
rally very short, and the coverts are smooth and close 
set. The shafts of the quills are always very strong 




and elastic ; and in some of the species the basal part 
of the shaft is so much enlarged, that its diameter 
nearly equals the breadth of the inner web. The webs 
are firmly united together and extremely compact, so 
as to form a substance almost like a thin plate of 
whalebone, and by reason of their strong resistance to 


6 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


the air, and the rapidity with which they are worked, 
cause that humming sound from whence, as we have 
said, their name is derived. 

The tail assumes a great variety of shapes, but the 
feathers are of the same firm character as those of the 
wings. It is pointed, rounded, squared, forked, very 
broad, ample, or scanty, in accordance no doubt with 
some peculiarity in the habits or economy of each 
species. 

One of the most remarkable characters in these 
birds is observed in the bill. Its general form is long 
and slender, nearly of an equal thickness throughout, 
with the exception of the tip, which is usually very 
sharp and keen ; but it varies considerably in length 

and curvature; 
and in some of 
the species its 
insectiverous 
character is 
developed more 
strongly by the 
presence of re- 
curved saw-like teeth on the edges of the mandibles 
towards the point, as in Trochilus recurvirostris, and 
some others. In nearly all the species the upper 
mandible overlaps, or partially sheathes, the under 
one. Although in some of these characters the Hum- 
ming Birds may partially resemble the Swift, how 
totally different is the form of the instrument by 
which their food is taken. Both birds seize their 
tiny prey while upon the wing ; the latter gaping wide 
to snatch it, and passing onward in its rapid flight ; the 



HUMMING BIRDS. 


7 


former, while it hovers on the wing, inserts its at- 
tenuated bill, and with protruded tongue extracts its 
food from the honeyed cells of pendent tubular flowers. 
The one pursues, on ever-active wing, the ranging 
insect that, with bolder flight, appears to seek a rarer 
atmosphere in the loftier regions of the firmament ; 
the other seeks the more hidden pest that delights to 
fatten, all unseen, on the nectar juice caverned within 
the calyx of the flower. The fitness of the structure 
of each bird to its peculiar functions and appointed 
occupation is wonderful and striking. The Humming 
Birds could no more exist in a climate where there 
was not a constant succession of flowers to harbour 
and nourish their prey, than the Swift could support 
its existence were no insects to people the air. 

The tongue of the Humming Bird, like that of the 
Woodpecker and other scansorial, insectivorous birds, 
is retractile, and capable of being darted out with 
considerable force, by means of an apparatus similar 
to that of the Woodpecker. It is composed, according 
to Brisson and Lesson, of two muscular tubes, joined 
together through the greater part of their length, 
expanding towards the tips into a spoon-like form, 
and terminating in a sharp point. The food, which 
is procured on the tip of the tongue, is immediately 
conveyed to the opening of the oesophagus by the 
contractility of the tubes. 

These birds do not alight upon the ground, nor 
have they any other use for their feet than to 
support themselves on a perch for the purpose of 
repose; the foot is therefore simply a perching foot, 
very small and slender ; the claws being rather large 


8 


BEAUTIFUL BIBBS. 


in proportion, very much hooked, and extremely 
sharp. 

These curious little birds are not more remarkable 
for the great brilliancy of their plumage, than for the 
singular production of supplementary feathers, not 
absolutely requisite either for clothing or for flight, 
which grow from different parts of their bodies, but 
chiefly from some part or parts of the head or neck. 
These feathers, it is believed, are produced only on 
the males during the breeding season; but as the 
Humming Birds, in tropical countries at least, breed 
more frequently than almost any other birds, the 
season of love occupies 'a great portion of the 
year. 

- Perhaps the best and most ample accounts of the 
habits and economy of Humming Birds are those 
given by Wilson and Audubon, in their histories of 
the Northern or Buby-throated Humming Bird (Tro- 
chilus rubineus ) ; we shall therefore resort to their 
pages to obtain some information concerning the 
general habits of these “jewels of ornithology,” as 
there appears to be great similarity in the manners 
of all of them. “ No sooner,” says Audubon, “ has 
the returning sun again introduced the vernal season, 
and caused millions of plants to expand their leaves 
and blossoms to his genial beams, than the little 
Humming Bird is seen advancing on fairy wings, 
carefully visiting every opening flower-cup, and, like 
a curious florist, removing from each the injurious 
insects which would otherwise ere long cause their 
beauteous petals to droop and decay. Poised in the 
air, it is observed peeping cautiously and with spark- 


HUMMING BIRDS. 


9 


ling eye into their innermost recesses ; whilst the 
ethereal motions of its pinions, so rapid and so light, 
appear to fan and cool the flower without injuring its 
fragile texture, and produce a delightful murmuring 
sound, well adapted for lulling the insects to repose. 
Then is the moment for the Humming Bird to secure 
them. Its long delicate bill enters the cup of the 
flower, and the protruded double-tubed tongue, deli- 
cately sensible and imbued with a glutinous saliva, 
touches each insect in succession, and draws it from 
its lurking-place to be instantly swallowed. 

“ The prairies, the fields, the orchards and gardens, 
nay, the deepest shades of' the forests, are all visited 
in their turn, and everywhere the little bird meets 
with pleasure and with food. Its gorgeous throat, in 
beauty and brilliancy, baffles all competition; now 
it glows with a fiery hue, and again it is changed to 
the deepest velvety black. The upper parts of its 
delicate body are of resplendent, changing green; 
and it throws itself through the air with a swiftness 
and vivacity hardly conceivable. It moves from one 
flower to ‘another like a gleam of light — upwards, 
downwards, to the right, and to the left. In this 
manner it searches the extreme northern portions of 
our country, following with great precaution the 
advances of the season, and retreating with equal care 
at the approach of autumn.”* 

This little bird is seen in great numbers in the 
Canadas, and is said to abound most in the islands 
of the West Indian Archipelago. They have been 
obtained from the plains of the Saskatchewan, near 

* Ornithological Biography. 


10 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


the sources of the Elk River, and are known to reach 
as far as the fifty-seventh parallel. 

“ To enumerate all the flowers of which this species 
is fond,” Wilson observes, “would be to repeat the 
names of half our American Elora. Erom the blos- 
soms of the towering poplar or tulip-tree, through a 
thousand intermediate flowers, to those of the humble 
larkspur, he ranges at will and almost incessantly. 
Every period of the season produces a fresh multitude 
of new favourites. Towards the month of September 
there is a yellow flower, which grows in great luxuri- 
ance along the sides of creeks and rivers, and in low 
moist situations; it grows to the height of two or 
three feet, and the flower, which is about the size of a 
thimble, hangs, in the shape of a cap of liberty, about 
a luxuriant growth of green leaves. It is the Bal- 
samina noli-me-tangere of botanists, and is the greatest 
favourite with the Humming Bird of all our other 
flowers. In some places, where these plants abound, 
you may see, at one time, ten or twelve Humming 
Birds darting about, and fighting with and pursuing 
each other. About the 20th of September they gene- 
rally return to the south. 

“ The flight of the Humming Bird from flower to 
flower greatly resembles that of a bee; but it is so 
much more rapid, that the latter appears a mere 
loiterer to him. When arrived before a thicket of 
trumpet-flowers that are full blown, he poises or sus- 
pends himself on wing for the space of two or three 
seconds, and so steadily that his wings become in- 
visible or only like a mist, and you can plainly dis- 
tinguish the pupil of his eye looking round with great 


HUMMING BIEDS. 


11 


quickness and circumspection. When he alights, 
which is frequently, he always prefers the small dead 
twigs of a tree or bush, where he dresses and arranges 
his plumage with great dexterity. His only note is a 
single chirp, not louder than that of a small cricket 
or grasshopper, generally uttered while passing from 
flower to flower, or when engaged in flight with his 
fellows, which is by no means an unfrequent occur- 
rence.”* He sometimes enters a room by the window, 
examines the bouquets of flowers, and passes out by 
the opposite door or window. He has been known to 
take refuge in a hothouse during the cool nights of 
autumn, to go regularly out in the morning, and to 
return as regularly in the evening, for several days 
together. 

The nest of this species is about an inch in 
diameter, and as much in depth. It is generally 
placed on the upper side of a horizontal branch, 
not among the twigs, but on the body of the branch 
itself, and from ten to twenty feet above the ground. 
Sometimes it has been found attached by the side to 
an old, moss-grown trunk, or fastened to the stalk of 
a strong rank weed. 

The outward coat is formed of small pieces of a 
species of bluish-grey lichen, that vegetates on old 
trees and fences, thickly glued with the saliva of the 
bird, giving firmness and consistency to the whole, as 
well as keeping out moisture. Within this are thick, 
matted layers of the fine wings of certain flying seeds, 
closely laid together ; and, lastly, the downy sub- 
stance from the great mullein and from the stalks of 

* American Ornithology. 


12 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


the common fern lines the whole. The base of the 
nest is continued round the stem of the branch, to 
which it closely adheres, and, when viewed from 
below, appears a mere mossy knot or accidental pro- 
tuberance. 

Lesson has described the nest of one species as 
principally composed of a spongy, cellular substance, 
-apparently similar to that of a fungus, of which some 
species of wasps build large habitations, suspended 
from the branches of trees in the virgin forests of 
Gruiana, and the same naturalist gives a figure of the 
nest of another species, composed entirely of the down 
of some thistle; the seed is attached, and is placed 
outwards, giving a jagged or prickly appearance to 
the outside, while the interior is warmly lined with 
the down. Two eggs only are laid by these birds. 
The period of incubation is remarkably short. La- 
tham says that the black Humming Bird sits twelve 
days, and that the young leave the nest and folio w r 
their parents in eighteen days ; and the North 
American species, according to Audubon, hatches only 
ten days, and the young are ready to fly in one week. 

Those species which have the bill perfectly straight, 
and the tail ever so slightly divaricated, are considered 
the typical species. In the receding groups on either 
side, the bill is more or less curved, sometimes de- 
pressed at the base, and the tail is forked or rounded ; 
in some species, the external feathers of the tail are 
considerably produced, in others, again, the two 
middle tail feathers are much longer than any of the 
rest. 

The species which we have figured are the recurved 


HUMMING BIRDS. 


13 


bill (T. recurvirostris ) , already named, and tbe Topaz. 
Of this last it has been said that, were all these bril- 
liant birds to dispute the palm, and be observed in 
turn, it would be found the most beautiful. The light 
and elegant figure of this bird is something less than 
our Woodpecker. Its length from the tip of the bill 
to the end of the true tail is nearly six inches ; the 
two long feathers exceed this by two inches and a 
half. The throat and breast are enriched by a plate 
of great brilliancy. Seen from the side, this colour 
changes into a golden green; seen from above, it 
appears a pure green. A coif of velvety black covers 
the head ; a fillet of the same black encircles the topaz 
plate ; the breast, the side of the neck, and the top of 
the back are of a most beautiful deep purple; the 
belly is still more rich, by a reflection of scarlet and 
gold ; the shoulders, and the bottom of the back, are 
of a light red. The large feathers of the wing are of 
a violet-brown; the small feathers are ruddy. The 
colour of both the superior and inferior covertures of 
the tail is of a golden green; the lateral quill-feathers 
are red, and the two intermediate ones of a purple- 
brown. 

The whole family has been divided into the follow- 
ing genera by Mr. Swainson, viz. — Campylopterous : 
having the bill curved; shafts of the quills dilated; 
tail graduated. Lampornis : with the bill straight, or 
very slightly bent ; considerably depressed for its 
whole length, but more especially at the base ; wings 
reaching to the end of the tail, which is short and 
even. Trochilus : having the bill very straight, long, 
cylindrical, or rather broader than high ; tail generally 


14 


BEATJTIEUL BIEDS. 


even, but sometimes slightly forked. Oynanthus : 
with a cylindrical bill, more or less curved ; tail forked. 
Phcethornis : with the bill considerably compressed, 
generally curved from the base ; tail graduated or 
cuneated. 

Another very beautiful family of birds succeeds to 
the Trochilidce ; it is composed of the Sun-birds, 
Cinnyridcd , inhabitants of the tropical portions of 
Africa and India. They are small birds, but are 
clothed with most brilliant plumage. The bill is 
very long, slender, and acutely pointed ; the margins 
in some of the species being dentated in the most 
regular manner ; their serratures are so small as 
scarcely to be seen by the naked eye. The tongue is 
formed into a bifid tube, or rather, as Mr. Swainson 
suspects, into two flattened filaments ; it is long and 
susceptible of protrusion. The feet are moderate in 
their dimensions, and the wings moderate in length 
and rounded. 

The gay and beautiful tints which are so strikingly 
developed in the Sun-birds, have caused them to be 
much sought after as ornaments to the person or 
museum ; a rich golden green, varied on the under 
parts with steel-blue, purple, bright orange, or vivid 
crimson, decorates nearly all the species, and produces 
a brilliancy of colours only rivalled by those of the 
Humming Birds. It is only, however, in the pairing 
season that the male birds assume this metallic lustre 
of plumage. They feed on minute insects and, it is 
supposed, on the nectar of flowers, which they pro- 
cure by probing the honeyed calyx with their length- 
ened bills, whilst hovering on the wing. 


HUMMING BIRDS. 


15 


The following description by Mr. Swainson of the 
splendid Sun-bird ( Cinnyris splendida) will give some 
idea of the beautiful appearance of these birds. “ The 
enthusiastic Le Vaillant,” says that eminent naturalist, 
“might well be enraptured upon discovering this charm- 
ing little creature, which is certainly the most splendid 
species in this group we have yet seen. Its head and 
neck may be called either purple, blue, violet, or lilac, 
for it changes to one' or the other of these tints accord- 
ing to the direction it is held in, whether to or from 
the light, whether viewed by the sun or by a candle ; 
in either case the plumage is as glossy as polished 
steel, while those parts not illuminated by the light 
become absolutely black. Such is the appearance of 
the crown, sides of the head, the neck, and the throat, 
to a little beyond the breast, where this colour is 
crossed by several narrow irregular lines of bright 
scarlet; the lower half of the body, to the vent, is 
deep uniform black, without any gloss; the upper 
plumage, from the interscapulars to the tail-coverts, 
is the most brilliant polished blue-green, one or other 
of which colours preponderate according to the light ; 
but there is no golden or other tint intermixed. The 
same green is upon the lesser wing-coverts, and the 
under tail-coverts. What particularly distinguishes 
this species from all others yet known, is the great 
prolongation of the upper tail-coverts, which are quite 
as long as (and entirely conceal) the tail itself, the 
feathers of which are all even, and blue-black. The 
wings, feet, and bill are solely black. The length of 
this species is three and a half inches.” 

Another species, the olive-backed Sun-bird ( Cinnyris 


16 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


chloronotus), is thus coloured. The whole of the head, 
neck above, and the throat, as far as the breast, is of a 
dark glossy blue-green ; this colour terminates before 
it reaches the interscapulars, which, with the remainder 
of the upper plumage, is olive-green, over which there 
is a strong tinge of yellow, without any of that me- 
tallic gloss seen on the head and neck. The side 
feathers on the breast, j nst beneath the wing, are of a 
clear and delicate straw-yellow; while the whole of 
the body, belly, vent, and under tail-coverts are of a 
deep and uniform cinereous grey. The quills aud tail- 
feathers are dark hair-brown, edged with yellowish 
olive. Length five inches. 


popes, 

NfcxT in succession to the Sun-birds, and forming the 
aberrant family of the tenuirostral birds, are arranged 
the Hoopoes (Promerojpidce ) , the species of which are 
few in number, and restricted to the Old World. 
These birds are distinguished by a syndactylic form of 
foot, the outer toe being united for half* its length to 
the middle toe; and a very long, compressed, curved bill. 
The plumage of the Hoopoes is generally glossed with 
a metallic blue andd eep green ; and in one species, the 
Grand Promerops of New Guinea, the side and tail- 
feathers are developed in the most singular and extra- 
ordinary manner, indicating in this respect a close 
affinity to some of the Paradise Birds. The Hoopoes 
are ground-feeders ; but their legs are short, and their 
feet combine the properties of perching and walking 
feet. They feed upon insects, worms, and other 
similar prey that are found in moist marshy situations. 
The length of their bill facilitates the capture of their 
food in thick herbage, or even at some depth under 
water. One species, the Common Hoopoe, as it is 
termed, annually visits Europe during the summer 
months, and is occasionally found to reach as far as 
this island ; and instances are recorded of its having 
bred in this country. The Hoopoe is a handsome 
bird, and marches on the ground with a kind of strut, 
bearing some resemblance to that of Gallinidce. 
They not only perch with great firmness upon low 
i 


114 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


bushes and stumps, by the margins of the waters 
which form their usual resting-places when watching for 
their prey, but it is said that they can upon occasions 
cling to perpendicular surfaces ; as, however, the foot 
is not adapted for adhering to a vertical surface for any 
length of time, they are in constant and active motion. 

Moist localities are generally resorted to by the 
Hoopoe, in the neighbourhood of woods and thickets, 
and the banks of rivers, especially those which are 
occasionally flooded. There it may be seen upon the 
ground, busily searching for its favourite insects, 
chiefly coleopterous, and the spawn of fishes and 
reptiles. It may sometimes be seen, Mr. Selby 
observes, hanging from the branches of trees, in 
search of the insects that chiefly dwell on the under 
sides of the foliage. It builds in the holes of decayed 
trees, but when these situations cannot be obtained, 
will make use of the crevices of walls and rocks. The 
nest is formed of dry grass, lined with feathers or 
other soft materials ; and it lays four or five eggs of a 
greyish-white, spotted with hair-brown. 

The length of the Hoopoe is more than a foot, the 
extent of the wings more than a foot and a half, and 
the weight about three ounces. The most remarkable 
external characteristic of the bird is its crest, con- 
sisting of two rows of orange feathers, tipped with 
black, extending backwards along the head, capable of 
being elevated or depressed, and giving a sprightly air 
to the bird. The head, neck, and breast are brown- 
ish-red, the upper part of the back greyish-brown, 
and the hinder part barred with black and white ; the 
under parts of the bird are white, with longitudinal 


HOOPOES. 


115 


streaks of brown. The wings and tail are black, the 
former with five regular white bars on each, 
and the latter with a chevron of white, the angle 
directed to the body of the bird. Its flight through 
the air is by leaps, or undulatory, and, to appearance, 
performed with considerable labour; but from the 
long migrations which it makes, it must be capable of 
long continuance.* The engraving represents the 
bill of Epimachus mognificus , the Splendid Epima- 
chus, which has the bill of TTpupa and Eromerops , 
with the scaly or velvet feathers covering the nostrils, 



as in the Birds of Paradise. The plumage is ex- 
tremely brilliant, and the flank feathers of the male 
are elongated an d fringed. Sonnerat says that there does 
not perhaps exist a more extraordinary bird than the 
Grand Promerops of New Guinea. It is four feet in 
length, from the extremity of the bill to that of the 
tail. Its body is delicate, slender, and, although it is 
of an elongated form, appears short and excessively 
small in comparison with the tail. To add to the 
singularity of this bird, Nature has placed above and 
below its wings feathers of an extraordinary form,, 
and such as one does not see in other birds ; she 
seems, moreover, to have pleased herself in painting 
this being, already so singular, with her most brilliant 

* Feathered Tribes of the British Islands. 


116 


BEAUTIFUL BIBBS. 


colours. The head, the neck, and the belly are glit- 
tering green; the feathers which cover these parts 
have the lustre and softness of velvet to the eye and 
to the touch ; the back is changeable violet ; the 
wings are of the same colour, and appear, according to 
the lights in which they are held, blue, violet, or deep 
black, always, however, imitating velvet. The tail is 
composed of twelve feathers, the two middle ar,e the 
longest, and the lateral ones gradually diminish ; it is 
violet or changeable blue above, and black beneath. The 
feathers which compose it are as wide in proportion as 
they are long, and shine both above and below with 
the brilliancy of polished metal. Above the wings, 
the scapulars are very long and singularly formed; 
their barbs are very short on one side, and very long 
on the other. These feathers dre of the colour of 
polished steel, changing into blue, terminated by a 
large spot of brilliant green, and forming a species of 
tuft or appendage at the origin of the wings. * Below 
the wings spring long curved feathers, directed up- 
wards ; these are black on the inside, and brilliant 
green on the outside. The bill and feet are black. 


§irlrs flf fsrstto. 


CONIEOSTRES. 

AY ith the Promeropidce we closed that tribe of birds 
the members of which are exclusively organized for 
feeding upon the minute insects which infest the 
flowers of plants and trees, or for imbibing, by means 
of their filamentous tongue, the nectar of the flowers, 
and we now enter that which contains birds of the 
most opposite characters to those we have just been 
considering — birds whose individual faculties and 
organization are more varied or perfect than those of 
any other tribe ; who feed indiscriminately upon in- 
sects, fruits, and vegetables ; who perch upon slender 
sprays, and walk upon the ground with equal facility ; 
and soipe of whom are the largest and the most ex- 
traordinary birds in appearance of the whole order. 
The bill exhibits a considerable firmness of structure^ 
and is more or less conical in its form ; the notch in 
the upper mandible is very slight, and the tip is rarely 
hooked ; in some of the species it is beautifully adapted 
for the fracture of the hardest seed-stones, or for ex- 
tracting the seeds from the most concealed recesses. 
The feet, in almost every instance, have three toes in 
front and one behind, and are of strength sufficient 
to become available instruments of progression upon 
the ground or amongst the branches of trees. 

By Mr. Swainson, the five primary divisions of this 
tribe are considered to be the families Corvidce , Stur- 
nidcd , Fringillidce , Musophagidce , and Buceridce, 


118 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


though the first and second are considered by him and 
Mr. Vigors as the two typical groups, on account of 
their more perfect and varied faculties ; if the conic 
form of the bill is the peculiar character upon which 
the order is founded, it follows that those birds which 
exhibit this character in the highest degree of deve- 
lopment must be arranged as the typical group. It is 
stated by Mr. Swainson, that the bill of the Fringil- 
lidcd is most typical in this respect ; we have there- 
fore considered that family as the most typical group. 
According to their natural affinities, then, the other 
families will assume the above arrangement, which we 
will now endeavour to show. 

That the Paradise Birds, which we include in the 
family Corvidae, exhibit a strong affinity to some 
species of the Promeropidae is generally acknowledged ; 
indeed, Mr. Swainson considers them as belonging to 
the tenuirostral tribe, and immediately to succeed 
that family. The form of their bill and feqfc, how- 
ever, together with their general organization, induced 
Baron Cuvier to arrange them with the Crows, and 
they have generally been considered by ornithologists 
as belonging to that family. 

The general character of the Corvidae are, the bill 
strong, more or less compressed or flattened on the 
sides, sharp and trenchant in the cutting edges, slightly 
curved towards the point ; commissure straight; nostrils 
covered or defended by incumbent bristles or feathers. 
Feet strong, with three toes directed forwards and one 
backwards ; the three front toes divided to their bases. 
Wings in general long and pointed ; the second and 
third quills are, however, shorter than the fourth one, 


BIRDS OF PARADISE. 


119 


so that the wings are not of that form which is best 
adapted for turning readily in the air, although they 
are capable of sustaining a protracted flight. 

The Paradise Birds ( [Paradiseance ) are those which 
exhibit the greatest affinity to the tenuirostral tribe, 
or suctorial birds. These are very peculiar birds, con- 
fined to a peculiar situation on the globe, whose cli- 
mate, seasons, and the greater part of its natural 
productions are also peculiar, and not to be met with 
in any other part of the world. 

The exceeding elegance and richness of the plumes 
of these birds not only procured for them names indica- 
tive of superior attractions, but gave them a notoriety 
which caused them to be sought after by the chiefs 
and nobles of all lands, and they have long been a 
source of profitable trade to those who have been 
fortunate enough to procure them. The extraordinary 
fiction with which the craft of the inhabitants of the 
Eastern countries where they are found deluded the 
ignorant, rendered them still more objects of curiosity 
and desire. The natives were in the habit of carefully 
removing the legs from the skins ere they produced 
them for sale, and they were stated to pass their 
whole existence in the air, where all the functions of 
life were carried on. 

“ The golden birds, that ever sail the skies, 

Here to the sun display their shining dyes ; 

Each want supplied on air they ever soar ; 

The ground they touch not till they breathe no more.” * 

The dew and the vapours were said t.o be their only 
food. The brilliant lustre of their plumage, the rich 


Camoens. 


120 


BEAUTIFUL BIKDS. 


hues and delicate structure of their ornamental trap- 
pings and thread-like feathers, fostered the idea that 
they were inhabitants of some ever calm and sunny 
region, where no storms occurred to ruffle their plumes, 
and where they floated about on never-tiring wing, in 
a balmy perfumed atmosphere and a cloudless sky. 
They were called Birds of Paradise, God’s Birds, Pas- 
saros de Sol. 

Although the peculiar habits and economy of the 
Birds of Paradise have not yet been examined or 
made familiar to the naturalist, they are supposed to 
feed chiefly upon soft substances, such as the pulpy 
or farinaceous parts of fruits, upon worms and in- 
sects. They are natives of New Guinea, the Papuan 
Islands, or islands of the Indian Ocean, whose in- 
habitants are exceedingly remote from civilization. 
The skins which are brought to this country are ob- 
tained chiefly from the Chinese traders, in a dry and 
mutilated state. 

New Guinea appears to be the head-quarters of 
these birds, from whence they migrate seasonally to 
the smaller isles which lie in its vicinity. They resort 
to the forests, not, like the parrots, to clamber amidst 
the twigs and leaves in search of their food, for their 
flowing trains and ornamental plumes would ill accord 
with such a habit, but to perch on the summits of the 
loftiest trees, or to seek shade and shelter beneath 
their ample foliage. They live in troops, some of 
them at least have been observed to do so, and seek 
their food only at the rising and setting of the sun. 

The islands on which these birds have hitherto been 
found are subject to alternations of rain and drought, 


BIRDS OF PARADISE. 


121 


though not so violent nor of so long continuance as 
in the more extended lands within the tropics ; and 
the fervent heat of the rainless period produces even- 
tually a temporary suspension of animal and vegetable 
action, so that the birds are forced to seek a moister 
atmosphere, where their food may still be found. At 
these places, says an amusing and elegant writer, where 
the earth and the upper part of the forest are parched, 
and the ardour of the unclouded sun continues to beat, 
there is a constant rarefaction, and consequent ascent of 
the whole mass of the atmosphere ; and in consequence 
of this the winds from the more humid surfaces 
must blow towards those parched places with velocities 
proportional to the differences between the one and 
the other. It is this which produces the sea- 
sonal winds of the tropical countries, and it is this, 
acted on by the changing declination of the sun, which 
produces the changing monsoons or alternations of the 
tropical seasons. 

When the forest, which is the haunt of the Paradise 
Birds, at any particular time becomes parched, their 
food lessens, and they are compelled to be more on the 
wing in their search after it. But on which side soever 
there then happens to be a place more humid and 
more abounding in those creatures on which they feed, 
and which on this account is better suited to them for 
the time, there is a wind which blows from that side 
toward the place which is parched and heated, and 
the action of that wind upon their flocculent feathers 
turns them round on their centres of gravity like 
weathercocks ; their heads are, as they fly, turned to 
the wind, and their progress is of course against its 


122 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


current. Their feathers must thus in so far assist the 
birds in finding out the direction of those places 
where they can feed.* 

During very rough weather the Birds of Paradise 
remain in their retreats, the flocculent nature of their 
plumage rendering them unable to contend with strong 
winds or heavy rains. 

The generic characters of the Paradise Birds are, 
the bill of moderate size, straight in its general line, 

but arched in 
the culmen, and 
slightly hooked 
at the tip of 
the upper man- 
dible, in which 
there is either 
no notch or a 
mere rudiment 
of one; nostrils basal and lateral, open, but con- 
cealed among the feathers at the base of the bill. 
The tarsi and toes are stout; the former generally 
short ; the latter three to the front and one behind ; 
the middle toe shorter than the tarsus, the outer 
united to it at its base, and the inner joined to half 
the length of the first phalanx, the hinder toe larger 
and stronger than the others. The first five quills of 
the wings are nearly of equal length, and the sixth or 
seventh usually the longest. 

There are several species of Paradise Birds, whose 
characters are tolerably known ; but others have only 
been observed by the naturalist in a mutilated state ; 

* British Cyclopaedia. 



BIRDS OF PARADISE. 


123 


and tlieir peculiar characters, save with regard to their 
plumage, are totally unknown. They have all pro- 
duced feathers, with flocculent webs on the flanks, the 
scapulars, or both ; they have, in general, long 
thread-like feathers in the tail, which are sometimes 
terminated by little discs or palettes, and the plumage 
of the rest of their bodies is in a great measure 
peculiar. All their feathers are better formed for 
taking hold on the wind than for making way against 
it, for they are all remarkable for their loose and velvet- 
like texture. This is remarkable in the feathers of 
the head, and in those of the neck, more especially in 
the species which have a ruff of produced feathers 
upon that part ; but it is not confined to these, for the 
whole plumage of the body, and even the flying 
feathers of the wings, have a more loose and velvety 
texture than those of most other birds. 

The species which is most known in this country is 
likewise the most elegant bird of the family. It is 
the Paradisea cvpoda of Linnaeus, or the great Emerald 
Bird of Paradise. Erom the point of the bill to the 
extremity of the tail the length is about a foot ; but 
the produced feathers of the flanks, which are exceed- 
ingly light and beautiful in their form, extend about a 
foot more. The general colour is a rich cinnamon- 
brown, but it varies considerably on the different parts. 
Over the nostrils and on the forehead there are very 
thick, soft and velvety, black feathers, with green re- 
flections. The crown and nape are pale yellow, the 
throat golden greei', the hind part of the neck purple- 
brown, the rest of the upper part, and also the breast 
and belly, maroon-brown; the bill yellowish-black. The 


124 


BEAUTIFUL B1KDS. 


colours are subject to considerable variation in different 
specimens ; as, for instance, the throat is every shade 
from golden green to a rich golden yellow, and when 
this part is more inclined to yellow, all the rest of the 
bird is of a paler tint ; but whether these variations 
are the result of difference of age or season, or whether 
they are permanent for the life of the birds, has not 
been ascertained. 

The produced feathers on the flanks and in the tails 
of these birds are among the most remarkable of 
their external characters. Those which originate in 
the flanks are of a pale yellow or straw colour for the 
greater part of their lengths, but they are marked 
with purplish-red towards their origin. It is dif- 
ficult to imagine any structure more beautiful. 
The shafts are finely tapering, and the fibres of the 
webs, which are quite detached from each other, have 
secondary ramifications ; and the whole are fined off 
towards the extremities, so that they really more re- 
semble the tail of a comet than they do any more solid 
matter ; but unsubstantial as they seem toward their 
extremities, the shaft and web are so well proportioned 
to each other that the whole feather floats far and 
gracefully, and with the very maximum of tenuity it 
has no appearance of weakness. Besides those, there 
are two very peculiar filaments of feather, covered 
with velvety down, interspersed with short stiff hairs, 
which have, however, nearly the same lustre as the 
down, which originate one on each side of the rump, 
and both extend to nearly the length of two feet. 
These are yellowish at their bases ; but for the greater 
part of their length they are nearly black, and show a 


BIRDS OF PARADISE. 


125 


very peculiar mixture of greenish lustre, which can 
hardly he called a reflection, for the hue of it is velvety 
rather than metallic, and it is a very intense and rich 
colour ; though there is so small a portion of this 
green that it is only visible in certain positions of the 
light with regard to the feathers, yet when the eye can 
catch it, it is of the most intensely rich shade that can 
possibly be imagined.* 

The habits of this species are but little known. 
M. Lesson says, the Birds of Paradise, or at least the 
Emerald (P. apoda), the only species concerning which 
we possess authentic intelligence, live in troops in the 
vast forests of the country of the Papuans, a group of 
islands situated under the equator, and which is com- 
posed of the islands Arou, Wagiou, and the great 
island called New Gruinea. They are birds of pas- 
sage, changing their quarters according to the mon- 
soons. The females congregate in troops, assemble on 
the tops of the highest trees in the forest, and all cry 
together to call the males. These last are always 
alone, in the midst of some fifteen females, which 
compose their seraglio, after the manner of the galli- 
naceous birds. 

M. Lesson says, that while he was on a shooting 
excursion the Manucode presented itself twice, and 
that they killed the male and female. This species 
seems to be monogamous, or perhaps it is only 
separated into pairs at the period of laying. In the 
woods this bird has no brilliancy ; its fine-coloured 
plumage is not discovered, and the tints of the female 
are dull. It loves to take its station on the teak- 

* British Cyclopaedia. 


126 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


trees, whose ample foliage shelters it, and whose 
small fruit forms its nourishment. Its irides are 
brown, and the feet are of a delicate azure. The 
Papuans call it Saya. 

The same author writes thus : — Soon after our 
arrival in this land of promise (New Guinea) for the 
naturalist, I was on a shooting excursion. Scarcely 
had I walked some hundred paces in those ancient 
forests, the daughters of time, whose sombre depth 
was perhaps the most magnificent and stately sight 
that I have ever seen, when a Bird of Paradise 
struck my view; it flew gracefully and in undula- 
tions, the feathers of its sides formed an elegant 
and aerial plume, which, without exaggeration, bore 
no remote resemblance to a brilliant meteor. Sur- 
prised, astounded, enjoying an inexpressible gratifica- 
tion, I devoured this splendid bird with my eyes ; but 
my emotion was so great that I forgot to shoot at it, 
and did not recollect that I had a gun in my hand 
till it was far away. One can scarcely have a just 
idea of the Paradise Birds from the skins which the 
Papuans sell to the Malays, and which come to us in 
Europe. These people formerly hunted the birds to 
decorate the turbans of their chiefs. They call them 
Mambefore in their tongue, and kill them during the 
night by climbing the trees where they perch, and 
shooting them with arrows made for the purpose, and 
very short, which they make with the stem of the 
leaves of a palm (Latanier). The campongs or 
villages of Mappia and of Emberbakene, are cele- 
brated for the quantity of birds which they prepare. 
Some, at the request of the Chinese merchants, are 


BIRDS OF PARADISE. 


127 


dried with their feet on. The price of a Bird of 
Paradise among the Papuans of the coast is a piastre 
at least. 

The cry of the Emerald is loud and piercing ; that 
of the male resembles the words voiJce, voiJce, voile e , 
voilco, strongly articulated, so much so as to he heard 
at a long distance. The female, deprived of the bril- 
liant plumage that adorns the male, is clad in sombre 
attire, and the cry is much more feeble. 

This species, being the most elegant and best 
adapted as an ornament for the head and other pur- 
poses, has been in request from the earliest times of 
which we have any knowledge of these eastern climes ; 
and the natives contrive to procure them by means of 
blunted arrows, without wounding the skin or mate- 
rially ruffling the plumage. The feet and wings are 
then removed, the body drawn, extended on a stick 
inserted by the bill, and then dried in smoke, to such a 
degree that it is not liable to be destroyed by insects. 

Mr. Bennett, in his “ "Wanderings,” says that this 
elegant creature has a light, playful, and graceful 
manner, with an arch look, dances about when a 
visitor approaches the cage, and seems delighted at 
being made an object of admiration; its notes are 
very peculiar, resembling the cawing of the raven, 
but its tones are by far more varied. During four 
months of the year, from May to August, it moults. 
It washes itself regularly twice daily (it was con- 
fined in an aviary), and after having performed its 
ablutions, throws its delicate feathers up nearly over 
the head, the quills of which feathers have a peculiar 
structure, so as to enable the bird to effect this object. 


128 


BEATJTIETTL BIRDS. 


Its food, during confinement is boiled rice, mixed up 
with soft eggs, together with plantains, and living 
insects of the grasshopper tribe ; these insects, when 
thrown to him, the bird contrives to catch in its beak 
with great celerity ; it will eat insects in a living 
state, but will not touch them when dead. 

The bird is not at all ravenous in its habits of 
feeding, but it eats rice leisurely, almost grain by 
grain. Should any of the insects thrown into his 
cage fall upon the floor, he will not descend to them, 
appearing to be fearful that in so doing he should soil 
his delicate plumage; he therefore seldom or never 
descends, except to perform his ablutions in the pan 
of water placed at the bottom of the cage expressly 
for his use. 









N°l. The Common^ Crow 

2, Tkt Nutcra cker 


tCrotos. 


Of the family Corvida there are several divisions or 
sub-families ; some of the genera of which, in the 
metallic lustre of their plumage, and the velvet-like 
process that in some species ornaments the face, 
indicate their close affinity to the Birds of Paradise. 
Of the sub-family Corvince many species are common 
in this country, such as the Raven, Crow, Magpie, etc. 
G-enerally speaking, these birds are all sober and even 
sombre in their attire, but there are a few exceptions ; 
and even in the most dull-garbed ones there is a beau- 
tiful compactness in the plumage, which appears to be 
well tempered to the elements, so that they are 
enabled to be constantly beating about and ranging far 
and wide in search of food, returning generally to 
their habitual dwellings at night. They are more 
generally distributed over the globe than most birds, 
and they appear to possess no slight degree of intel- 
ligence and cunning. Some of the species, indeed, are 
notorious for their surprising capacity of observation. 
Wild or tame, they are always prying about, and not 
only perceive what is immediately beside them, but 
have no inconsiderable amount of knowledge of what 
is going on in the world around them ; and though 
this vigilance renders them very wary of real danger, 
and very expert in avoiding it, it gives them a degree 
of self-possession much greater than that of most birds. 

Some of the species have for a long time been accused 
k 


130 


BEAUTIFUL B1BDS. 


of committing considerable depredations upon the pro- 
perty of man ; but although this may in a measure be 
correct, the good that they do far exceeds the amount of 
evil that is caused by their plunderings. Were it not 
for the labours of the birds of this genus, it is 
doubtful whether any country could be profitably cul- 
tivated. They are particularly organized for picking 
out from beneath the surface of the ground the hidden 
grubs or larvae that do such mischief to the sprouting 
grain and seed, as well as the herbage of the meadows. 
Even the Haven, that bird of evil omen, as he has been 
considered, does his meed of good, and is seldom found 
where he is not wanted ; and although he is apt at 
times to attack the young and helpless of the flock, it 
is generally believed, in those places where Havens 
abound, that he scents nothing but disease. In 
healthy districts, where the flocks are in good con- 
dition, the Haven levies no contribution, and seldom 
makes his appearance at all. 

The great perfection and variety of the powers 
exhibited by these birds -has induced Mr. Swainson to 
consider them the typical form of the whole class of 
birds. This superiority consists, he says, not in the 
extraordinary development of any one particular 
organ or quality, but in the union of nearly all those 
powers which have been separately assigned to other 
families. This perfection is best exemplified in looking 
to the economy of the ordinary Crows. In every cli- 
mate habitable by man these birds are found. They 
are as well constructed for powerful and continued 
flight, as for walking with a firm and stately pace on 
the earth ; they feed indiscriminately on animals or 


CROWS. 


131 


vegetables, and, when pressed by hunger, refuse not 
carrion— hence their smell is remarkably acute. They 
are bold but wary, live in common societies, and 
possess great courage. When domesticated, they 
evince a power of imitating the human voice nearly 
equal to that of the Parrot ; while their cunning, pil- 
fering, and hoarding dispositions are all symptoms of 
greater intelligence than what is found in most birds.* 
The Haven ( Oorvus Corax ) is common over the 
whole of Europe and a great portion of Asia; few 
birds have gained a greater share of notoriety. With 
the ancient Homans it was a bird of augury, and they 
regarded its flight and its hoarse croak, with its 
various actions* as presages either of good or evil. 
The Danes adopted it as their military standard, 
designing to impress their foes with the notion of 
coming destruction, and that their intention was to 
give their dead bodies to the fowls of the air ; such 
accorded with the superstition of the mass of people, 
the Haven’s very presence seeming to forebode dis- 
ease, calamity, and death. How general this notion 
was we notice from its association in “ Macbeth” with 
the horrors of coming desolation — 

“ The raven himself is hoarse* 

That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan 
Under my battlements.” 

The Haven is a bold bird, hardy and powerful, in its 
habits omnivorous, not only feeding on carrion but 
attacking ducks, chickens, and small quadrupeds, 
which its strong pointed beak enables it to despatch 
with a few strokes. It even attacks young lambs 

* Classification of Birds. 


132 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


and sickly sheep, picking out their eyes, and leaving 
them to a miserable lingering death. In addition to 
these, eggs, grain, grubs, reptiles, and shelled mollusks 
are among the articles of its bill of fare. It some- 
times visits the sea-shore in search of putrid fish and 
animal exuviae. 

The favourite resorts of this bird are bold mountain 
precipices, where, in some inaccessible ledge, or as has 
been seen, on the branches of some stunted yew-tree, 
starting as it were out of the rifts of the tremendous 
precipice, it builds its nest, occupying the same spot 
for a long succession of years. In districts where the 
character of the scenery is different, it makes its nest 
in tall trees, which it annually visits for the same 
purpose. The nest is formed of sticks, and lined with 
wool. The eggs, from five to seven in number, are of 
a dark green, blotched with black. Ravens are gene- 
rally seen, like the Crow, in pairs, but sometimes during 
the winter in small companies of eight or ten their 
flight is high, and they often w r heel and tumble in the 
air. This bird, arrayed in glossy blue-black plumage, 
is often kept tame, and soon becomes very familiar ; 
often, indeed, mischievously so, from its propensity 
to secrete glittering articles, as keys, glass, silver, and 
the like ; nor are eggs or the poultry of the yard 
quite secure from its incursions. It is very daring in 
self-defence. Mr. Thompson states that one which 
lived in the yard attached to the chief inn at Antrim 
for about fifteen years, had occasional encounters with 
game-cocks brought thither to engage it, and bets 
were pending on the issue. The Raven in every in- 
stance proved the victor ; it avoided the blows of the 


CEOWS. 


133 


cock, and acted only on the defensive until it could 
manage to lay hold of the cock’s head, which was in 
an instant crushed in its powerful beak, its antagonist 
falling lifeless on the ground. 

The Rook ( Corvus frugilegus') is spread over the 
greater portion of Europe, wherever suitable districts 
invite its colonization. Wooded and cultivated tracts 
of country are its favourite haunts, and it is specially 
abundant in our sea-girt island. It is singularly gre- 
garious in its habits, large flocks being constantly 
seen dispersing themselves over pastures and corn- 
4 fields in search of their peculiar food. Where the 
plough turns up the underlying soil, or the harrow 
tears open the unbroken clods, there they are seen 
picking up the grubs, the larvae of the chaffer-beetle 
(Melolantha vulgaris) and of the Harry-long-legs 
(Tipula oleracea ), both very destructive to the roots 
of grain and clover. In this respect they render to 
the farmer great service, far outweighing the mischief 
they may do in fields where the young wheat just sliows 
itself above the ground, or by picking up the recently 
planted “sets” of potatoes, to the injury of the crop. 
Indeed, the name of Corn-eater or Corn-gatherer (firu - 
gilegus) is inappropriately given to the Rook, for Mr. 
Selby affirms that in all places where Rooks have been 
exterminated, there very great injury has resulted to 
corn and other crops, from the devastation made by 
the grub and caterpillar being unchecked. Sometimes, 
undoubtedly, the Rook does much damage in gardens, 
from its fondness for pears and cherries when ripe, 
stripping the trees entirely ; also from its partiality for 
walnuts. But careful watching at the proper time 


134 BEATTTIETTL BIRDS. 

will prevent all the mischief which this bird commits, 
and thus secure its invaluable services without being 
subjected to its depredations. When on their fo- 
raging excursions, Hooks display much cunning and 
precaution ; they appoint sentinels to take their 
station at various posts around the main body, and at 
the cry of any of these all rise upon the wing and 
sail away. The appearance of a gun is sufficient 
to disturb them, and hence it is said that “rooks 
smell powder.” On the approach of evening, long 
strings of the birds may be seen at a considerable 
elevation wending their way to their roosting-place. 
In early spring they are all on the alert, busy in their 
rookery, repairing the old nests and building new 
ones ; all is noise and bustle, and numerous are the 
squabbles about the right of sticks and wool, till the 
nests are all finally completed. When the females 
begin to lay, they are fed by the males, and, as Gilbert 
White says, receive their bounty with a fond tremu- 
lous voice and fluttering wings, and all the little 
blandishments that are expressed by the young in a 
helpless state. This gallant behaviour of the males is 
continued during the whole season of incubation. 

In the genus Corvus , as exemplified in the common 
Carrion Crow ( Corvus cor one), the bill is somewhat 
lengthened and strong, and well suited for digging 
into the ground, or for pushing or breaking hard sub- 
stances ; the tip of the upper mandible slightly indexed 
over the lower ; obsoletely or not at all notched ; 
eulmen elevated, and slightly curved from the base. 
Nostrils covered and concealed with stiff, lengthened, 
incumbent bristles. The wings long and pointed ; the 


CHOWS. 


135 


first, second, and third quills graduated. Tail even, 
or slightly rounded. 

As their food is principally found upon the ground, 
they are provided with strong walking feet ; and as 
they are gregarious and breed together in large so- 
cieties on the tops of the loftiest trees for greater 
safety, the structure of their feet is such as to give 
them stability on such an elevated and slender perch. 
The foot of the true ground bird has the hallux, or 
hind toe, elevated on the tarsus above the articulation 
of those in front, and the lateral toes are of equal size, 
and the claws are less curved than in the perching 
birds. The birds of this genus which do not resort 
to the ground, as the Jays, exhibit a more arboreal 
character of foot, having the lateral toes unequal in 
length, and the claws have a greater degree of curva- 
ture. 

The plumage of the Carrion or common Elack Crow 
is entirely black, with few or no metallic reflections. 
It is a foul and miscellaneous feeder, as its name im- 
ports, and is very generally distributed. 

Carrion Crows nestle in trees, generally in more re- 
tired places and farther apart from each other than 
Kooks. They generally pass the summer in extensive 
forests, from which they occasionally emerge to 
procure subsistence for themselves and their infant 
brood. Tliey feed on flesh, eggs, worms, insects, and 
various kinds of grain, but they are particularly fond 
of carrion. In spring they greedily devour the eggs 
of partridges and quails, and are so dexterous as to 
pierce them and carry them on the point of their bill 
to their young ; even fish and fruit are not unsuitable 


136 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


to their palate. They often attack the eyes of dying 
animals, destroy weakly lambs, and, when pressed with 
hunger, will even pursue birds on the wing. They are 
notorious for the havoc which they occasion among 
game and poultry, and in rabbit-warrens, where they 
kill and devour the young. When hens lay their eggs 
in hedge bottoms or farm-yards, Crows are often 
caught in the act of devouring them ; but when they 
happen to be satiated, they will frequently hide their 
food till hunger becomes more urgent. 

During the winter these birds consort with the 
Rooks and Hooded Crows, and sometimes intermingle 
with the latter, so as to give rise to a hybrid race. In 
this season, numerous flights of various species of 
the first genus assemble about our dwellings, keeping 
much on the ground, sauntering much about the flocks 
and shepherds, hovering near the tracks of the la- 
bourers, and sometimes hopping on the backs of pigs 
and sheep, with such apparent familiarity that they 
might be mistaken for domestic birds. At night they 
retire into the forests to lodge among the large trees, 
resorting to the general rendezvous from every quarter, 
sometimes from the distance of nine miles all around, 
whence they again sally out in the morning in quest 
of subsistence.* 

As they are exceedingly cunning, have an acute 
scent, and commonly fly in large flocks, it is difficult to 
get near them, and still more so to decoy them into 
snares. Many contrivances have been resorted to to 
destroy them ; the most innocuous as well as ludicrous 
in its effect is the following : — A piece of paper is 

* British Cyclopaedia. 


CROWS. 


137 


rolled up in the shape of a case, and baited with a 
piece of raw flesh ; as the Crow introduces his head to 
devour the bait, which is in the narrow part, the 
paper, being besmeared with birdlime, sticks to the 
feathers of the neck, and he remains hooded ; unable 
to rid his eyes of the bandage, he rises perpendicularly 
into the air, the better to avoid striking against any- 
thing, until, quite exhausted, he sinks down, always 
near the spot from which he mounted. 

The Chough ( Corvus G-raculus) called the Cornish 
Chough, from its frequenting that county more than 
any other in Britain, is a less powerful bird than the 
Crow, and resorts generally to the sea-coasts, espe- 
cially those that are washed by the Atlantic and the 
Channel, where there are rocks or lofty ruins to serve 
it for resting-places. 

The Chough is black, with a tinge of violet, and the 
bill and legs are red. The bill being much weaker 
than that of the Crows in general, and curved nearly 
the whole of its length, is not adapted for the hard 
labour that those birds have sometimes to perform, 
its food is therefore of a somewhat different character ; 
and as its claws are sharp and crooked, partaking 
more of a prehensile than scraping character, it is 
evidently a surface-feeder, and its food animal or soft 
vegetable matter, or both. There is much of these 
to be picked up on the shores, or the banks of rivers 
at the reflux of the waters, and there the Chough is to 
be found. It is likewise said to be fond of those wild 
berries which are generally abundant in the humid 
or marshy parts of the uplands, and these furnish it 
at least with a seasonal supply. It is said also to 


138 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


feed on juniper berries. The nest is formed in the 
crevices of rocks about midway up the cliff, so as to 
be out of reach of danger both from below and above. 
The eggs are usually about four or five in number, 
rather longer than those of the Jackdaw, of a dull 
white colour, with spots of ash colour and pale brown. 

Mr. Macgillivray, in his “ History of British Birds,” 
has given the following characteristic sketch of the 
habits of the Magpie. It is generally distributed in 
Britain, being more or less common in all the culti- 
vated and wooded districts of England and Scotland, 
both in the interior and along the coast, although no- 
where numerous, on account of the hostility of game- 
keepers, gardeners, and sportsmen of all degrees. 
There, on the old ash that shadows the farm-yard, you 
may see a pair, one perched on the topmost twig, the 
other hopping among the branches, uttering an inces- 
sant chatter of short hard notes, scarcely resembling 
anything else in nature, but withal not unpleasant, at 
least to the lover of birds. How gracefully she of the 
top twig swings in the breeze. Off she starts, and 
directing her flight towards the fir wood opposite, pro- 
ceeds with a steady, moderately rapid, but rather 
heavy flight, performed by quick beats of her appa- 
rently short wings, intermitted for a moment at in- 
tervals. Chattering by the way, she seems to call her 
mate after her; but he, intent on something which 
he has spied, hops downwards from twig to branch, 
and descends to the ground. Baising his body as 
high as possible, and carrying his tail inclined upwards, 
to avoid contact with the moist grass, he walks a few 
paces, and spying an earthworm half protruding from 


CROWS. 


139 


its hole, drags it out by a sudden jerk, breaks it in 
pieces, and swallows it. Now under the hedge he 
has found a snail, which he will presently detach 
from its shell*; but something among the bushes has 
startled him, and lightly he springs upwards, chatter- 
ing the while, to regain his favourite tree. It is a 
cat, which, not less frightened than himself, runs off 
towards the house. The Magpie again descends, 
steps slowly over the green, looking from side to side, 
stops and listens, advances rapidly by a succession of 
leaps, and encounters a whole brood of chickens, with 
their mother at their heels. Were they unprotected 
how deliciously would the Magpie feast ; but, alas ! it 
is vain to think it, for, with fury in her eye, bristled 
plumage, and loud clamour, headlong rushes the hen, 
overturning two of her younglings, when the enemy 
suddenly wheels round, avoiding the encounter, and 
flies after his mate. 

The food of the Magpie consists of testaceous mol- 
lusca, slugs, larvae, worms, young birds, eggs, small 
quadrupeds, carrion, sometimes grain and fruits of 
different kinds, in search of which it frequents the 
fields, hedges, thickets, and orchards, occasionally 
visits the farm-yard, prowls among the stacks, perches 
on the housetop, whence it sallies at times and exa- 
mines the dunghill and places around. Although it 
searches for larvae and worms in the ploughed fields, 
it never ventures, like the Eook and several species of 
Grull, to follow the plough as it turns over each succes- 
sive furrow. 

On the ground it generally walks in the safrie 
manner as the Crows, but occasionally leaps in a side- 


140 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


long direction. It generally keeps in pairs all the 
year round, accompanies its young for some weeks 
after they first come abroad, and after the breeding 
season, retires at night to the copses or woods, where 
sometimes a considerable number meet together. 

Closely resembling the Sturnidce, or Starlings, in 
the form of its bill, the Nutcracker (Nucifraga) may 
be considered as the aberrant form of the present 
family. One species, the Nucifraga guttata , is not 
uncommon on the continent of Europe, but is a 
rare visitant to Britain. It is a handsome bird, about 
the size of a Magpie, or about thirteen inches in 
length, and a foot and a half in the stretch of the 
wings. The bill is perfectly straight and conic ; the 
base being dilated, and dividing the frontal feathers ; 
the tongue is long and forked at the tip. The general 
colour of the body is dusky brown, marked all over 
with triangular white spots. The crown of the head, 
wings, and tail are blackish, the latter marked with 
white at the tip ; bill and legs dusky. 

The Nutcracker seems to bear some resemblance to 
the genus Ficus, in its capacity of ascending the 
trunks of trees, and in feeding on the various insects 
and larvae that inhabit the bark and wood. It feeds 
likewise upon the kernels of nuts, acorns, beech-mast, 
the seeds of the Conifercc, and other vegetable sub- 
stances, which, in consequence of the hardness of 
their envelopes, remain on the ground for a consider- 
able time, and serve as a store for nearly the whole 
season. The hardest of these it can readily break, 
and it is for this reason that it is called the Nut- 
cracker. It resorts to mountainous districts, where 


CROWS. 


141 


it dwells amongst the forests on the elevated slopes. 
From the retired nature of its habits very little is 
known of its domestic economy. It is said to nestle 
in the holes of trees, and where these are not to be 
met with suitable to the purpose, it is said to he 
capable of working them to the desired shape, or even 
of excavating one itself. 


In the Starlings (< Sturnidce ), the bill exhibits a nearer 
approach to a conic form, some of the genera, indeed, 

have the bill per- 
fectly conic, such as 
the Hangnests ( Ic - 
terince) and Maize 
Birds (Aglainat ) , 
which conduct us 
to the next or 
typical family of 
the conirostral 
birds. The bills 
of the common 
Starling and of Icterus hcemorrhous , represented in 
the cut, will serve to illustrate the general form, 
although there are considerable modifications of form 
and structure exhibited in different groups of this 
family. 

The family of Sturnidce , Mr. Vigors observes, em- 
braces a considerable number of groups, approaching 
each other in their gregarious and migratory habits. 
They are found in every part of the globe, united in 
large flocks, carrying destruction among the cultivated 
fields, and following herds of cattle for the sake of 
the insects or grains which they may pick up from 
their bodies, or in their neighbourhood. In addition 
to the American genus Icterus , and the contiguous 




1 The Common Starling 
° Ths 'Raltimore. Hanane^t 






STARLINGS. 


143 


genera Cassicus and Zanthornis of M. Brisson, 
together with Pendulinus , Vieill., and several corre- 
sponding groups, we may observe the genus Arnbly- 
ramphus, ' Leach, united to the family, ' as also the 
. Puphaga , Linn., and Pastor and Lamprotornis. The 
whole of the family, united by their manners and 
straight and conical form of the beak, the ridge of 
which passes back to some extent over the forehead, 
may be observed, by those who cast even a casual 
glance over the three adjoining groups, to hold an 
intermediate rank between the weaker conformation 
of the Fringillidce and the more powerful structure of 
the Corvidce.* 

An interesting group in this family is formed by 
the Grackles (Lamprotornince) . They are birds of 

handsome plumage, being generally black, glossed with 
the most beautiful metallic lustres of green ancf blue. 
The uncommon brilliancy of the plumage of some of 
the species induced many naturalists to associate them 
with the Paradise Birds. The whole group appears 
to be confined to the tropics of Asia and Africa. They 
are gregarious, appearing in numerous flocks, and 
destroy the countless hosts of locusts and other large 
species of insects that are destructive to the produce 
of the fields in those warm 
regions. The chief peculiarities 
of the Grackles consist in 
strong thrush-like bill, gene- 
rally notched, but never an- 
gulated at the base, as in the 

* On the Natural Affinities that connect the Orders and Families of 
Birds: Vigors. 



BEAUTIFUL B1EDS. 


144 

IcterinoB ; the feet are large, the middle front toe 
being shorter than the tarsus, and united to the 
outer at the base ; the first quill in the wing is merely 
rudimental, and the second and third the longest. 

Indigenous to Southern America is another inter- 
esting group, forming the sub-family let evince, or 
Hangnests. Like the rest of the tribe, they are gre- 
garious and wary. They are never, however, accord- 
ing to Mr. Swainson, seen upon the ground, but feed 
upon fruits and coleopterous insects, which they find 
upon the trees. They are conspicuous for the -inge- 
nuity they display in the construction of their nests, 
which are of a long purse-like form, of laborious and 
elegant structure, and suspended from the slender 
branches of lofty trees. The bill in some of the 
species is large, very thick at the base, remarkably 
pointed at the tip, and completely conic ; the upper 
mandible is expanded at its base into a broad oval 
plate, which advances far on the front, and divides the 
frontal feathers. The commissure is straight, but 
angulated at the base. 

The most remarkable feature in the economy of 
these birds is the mode in which they construct their 
nests. Some of the birds being of a large size, nearly 
as big again as a thrush, require a large nest, and it 
is frequently found measuring between four and five 
feet in depth. It is a beautiful and novel sight to the 
European, says Mr. Swainson, to see hundreds of these 
pensile fabrics suspended from the extremity of the 
branches of a single tree, generally the most lofty, 
and accompanied by the birds themselves, either 
thickly crowded on the branches, or going and re- 


STABLINGS. 


145 


turning in all directions, tlie vivid yellow and black, 
or black and red of their plumage, giving a splendour 
to the animation of the scene, which does not belong 
to the rookeries of Europe* There can be no doubt 
that pendulous nests, which are much more common 
in tropica] than in temperate latitudes, are admirably 
calculated to guard the eggs and young, not only from 
the numerous snakes which frequent trees, but also 
from the insidious arts of the cuckoos, or the ma- 
rauding habits of the busli-shrikes and the toucans. 
Few of these birds equal the Baltimore Hangnest 
(Icterus Baltimore) in the construction of this re- 
ceptacle for its young, and in giving to it in such a 
superior degree convenience, warmth, and security. 
For these purposes, Wilson observes, he generally 
fixes on the high bending extremities of the branches, 
fastening strong strings of hemp or flax round two 
forked twigs corresponding to the intended width of 
the nest ; with the same materials, mixed with quan- 
tities of loose tow, he interweaves or fabricates a 
strong or firm kind of cloth, not unlike the substance 
of a hat in its raw state, forming it into a pouch of 
six or seven inches in depth, lining it substantially 
with various soft substances, well interwoven with the 
outward netting; it, lastly, finishes with a layer of 
horsehair ; the whole being shaded from the sun and 
rain by a natural pent-house or canopy of leaves. So 
solicitous is the Baltimore to procure proper materials 
for his nest, that, in the season of building, the 
women in the country are imder the necessity of nar- 
rowly watching their thread that may chance to be 
out bleaching, and the farmer to secure his young 


146 


BEAUTIFUL BIBDS. 


grafts ; as the Baltimore finding the former, and the 
strings which tie the latter, so well adapted for his 
purpose, frequently carries off both; or, should the 
one he over heavy, and the other too firmly tied, he 
will tug at them a considerable time before he gives 
up the attempt. Skeins of silk and hanks of thread 
have been often found, after the leaves were fallen, 
hanging round the Baltimore’s nest. 

The Baltimore bird is so called from its colours, 
which are black and orange, being, says Catesby, those 
of the arms or livery of Lord Baltimore, formerly the 
proprietor of Maryland. It inhabits North America 
from Canada to Mexico, and is even found so far 
south as Brazil. 

Wilson describes the note of this bird as a clear 
mellow whistle, repeated at short intervals as he 
gleans among the branches. There is in it a certain 
wild plaintiveness and naviete extremely interesting ; 
and it is uttered with the pleasing tranquillity of a 
careless plough-boy, whistling merely for his own 
amusement. 

The Baltimore is a migratory bird, and arrives in 
the more temperate portions of America in the spring. 
Its flight is straight and continuous. The plumage 
of the male bird is not mature until the third spring, 
when the colours are, as described by Audubon, the 
following : bill and feet light blue, iris-orange. Head, 
throat, back part of the neck, quills, and larger second- 
aries, black, as are the two middle tail-feathers, and 
the base of all the rest. The whole under-parts, the 
lesser wing-coverts, and the posterior part of the 
back, bright orange, deeply tinged with vermilion on 


STABLINGS. 


147 


the breast and neck. The tips of the two middle 
tail feathers and the terminal ends of the others, of a 
duller orange. Quills, excepting the first, margined 
with white. Length, seven inches and three-quarters. 

The Cow-troopial ( Icterus pecoris ) , is another bird 
of this family. Like our Cuckoo this bird prepares 
no nest itself, but makes choice of those of other birds, 
wherein to deposit its eggs, laying only one in each, 
which it leaves to be hatched by them, and relinquishes 
the rearing of the young one to the care of the foster- 
parents. It seems to have its favourite nests ; for it 
prefers those of the My- catcher’s, red and white-eyed, 
and that of the Maryland yellow-throat : yet it does 
not refuse to make use of those of the Blue-bird, the 
Blue-eyed yellow warbler, the Blue-grey Fly-catcher, 
the Chipping-sparrow, the Grolden-crowned thrush, 
Wilson’s Thrush, and the Indigo-bird. Nuttall tells 
us, that “ when the female is disposed to lay, she 
appears restless and dejected, and separates from the 
unregarding flock. Stealing through woods and 
thickets, she pries into the bushes and brambles for 
the nest that suits her, into which she darts, in the 
absence of its owner, and in a few minutes is seen to 
rise on tjie wing, cheerful and relieved from the 
anxiety that oppressed her, and proceeds back to the 
flock she had so reluctantly forsaken. If the egg be 
deposited in the nest alone, it is uniformly forsaken ; 
but if the nursing-parent have any of her own, she 
immediately begins to sit. The Bed-eyed Fly-catcher, 
in whose beautiful basket-like nests I have observed 
these eggs, proves a very affectionate and assiduous 
nurse to the uncouth foundling.” 


148 


BEAUTIFUL BIKDS. 


Mr. Nuttall says that, in 1831, he saw a hen red- 
eyed Fly-catcher sitting on two eggs, and one of the 
Cow-bird ; and that the Vireosylva olivacea of Buona- 
parte appears to he its most usual nurse. He states 
that this Yireo has sometimes begun her incubation 
with only an egg of each kind, while in other nests he 
has seen as many as three eggs of the Yireo, as well as 
that laid by the Cow-bird : he suggests, in explanation, 
that, from the largeness of the egg, the nest probably 
immediately feels full to the incubating bird, so as to 
lead her to sit directly, when the larger egg, being 
brought nearer to the body of the nurse than her 
own, is first hatched, generally, as he believes, on the 
twelfth or thirteenth day. The legitimate eggs are 
hatched about a day later, and the young are often 
stifled by the superior size of the stranger, which is 
affectionately nursed by the poor dupe of a dam. 
When the young are dead, they are conveyed to a dis- 
tance by the parent, and dropped ; but they are never 
found immediately below the nest, which would be the 
case if they were ejected by the young Cow-bird, — as 
is done by the young Cuckoo. Indeed, so far as Mr. 
ISuttall had the opportunity of observing, the found- 
ling shows no hostility to the natural brood of his 
nurses ; but he nearly takes up their whole attention, 
and early displays his characteristic cries and self- 
possession. When fully fledged they quickly desert 
their foster-parent, and skulk about in the woods, 
until at length they instinctively join company with 
those of the same feather ; and now, becoming more 
bold, are seen in parties of five or six, in the fields 
and lanes, gleaning their accustomed subsistence. 


STARLINGS. 


149 


They still, however, appear shy and watchful, and 
seem too selfish to study any thing more than their 
own security and advantage. 

The Cow-troopial is only a poor songster. The 
species is migratory ; it appears in the middle and 
northern states of the Union, at the beginning of 
April, and retires southwards on the approach of 
winter. The male has the head and neck blackish- 
brown, the rest of the plumage glossy black, with 
greenish reflections on the upper parts, and a violet 
lustre on the breast. The female is sooty-brown 
above, and pale beneath, as are also the young, with 
the breast spotted. 

The Rice-Bunting (Dolichonyx orizivora) is another 
species of this family, and is familiarly known through- 
out the whole of North America, from the Saskatche- 
wan river to Mexico ; flocks arrive there in March 
from their winter-quarters, the West India Islands, and 
scatter themselves over the savannahs and meadows, 
and newly-ploughed lands, where they feed on insects 
and their larvae, as well as on the tender wheat and 
early barley. They are gregarious, associating to- 
gether in immense flocks ; the males giving rapid volu- 
ble utterance to a strain in chorus, all ceasing simul- 
taneously. 

Near the middle of May the Rice-Buntings arrive 
in the State of New York, and immediately pair and 
prepare their nests. At this season the male birds 
pour forth their song in the air, ascending and de- 
scending in successive jerks. The nest is placed 
amongst the grass, or in a field of wheat or barley, on 
the ground, and is composed of dry grasses and leaves, 


150 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


lined with finer materials ; the eggs, five in number, 
are dull bluish white, spotted with blackish. 

In July, when the young are reared, these Rice- 
Buntings congregate in multitudes of incredible mag- 
nitude, and commence their extensive devastations. 
They plunder the fields of grain ; they swarm about 
seed-beds, alighting in thousands, bearing down the 
stems with their weight, and feeding on the ripe seeds. 
They progress towards the Southern States, and in 
September they make their appearance in Carolina in 
countless myriads, spreading over the rice-fields, and 
devouring the grain while yet soft and milky; and 
thus they often ruin acres of this produce. From the 
time of their assembling together in J uly, to September, 
the gun thins their numbers ; thousands are killed for 
the markets, their flesh being esteemed quite a deli- 
cacy. Towards the end of October, before the rice- 
crop is gathered in, the troops have made their appear- 
ance in Cuba and Jamaica; where they feed on the 
seeds of the guinea-grass, and where the birds, being 
very fat, are in great demand for the table. 

This bird, called also the Rice-Troopial, is subject 
to a double yearly moult and change of colouring. 
The male, in his spring dress, has the head, fore-part 
of the back, shoulders, wings, and tail, together with 
the whole of the under plumage, black, passing on the 
middle of the back into greyish; scapulars, rump, 
and upper tail-coverts white ; back of the neck ochre 
yellow. Bill, bluish black ; but in the autumn pale 
flesh-colour, as in the female and young male. The 
feathers of the tail are sharp at the end, as in the 
Woodpecker. 


STABLINGS. 


151 


The female (whose plumage the adult male assumes 
after the breeding season) has the hack streaked with 
brownish-black, and the whole of the under-parts of a 
dirty yellow. 

The Common Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris ) is a bird 
well-known to all. It is generally dispersed over 
Europe ; and is also found in China, the Himalaya, the 
Cape of G-ood Hope, and the northern parts of Africa. 
It is very common in our islands, and it is frequently 
kept in confinement ; in which condition it becomes 
very familiar, learns to give expression to some tunes, 
to utter words, and even sentences. A low sweet 
warble is its natural song. 

During the breeding season, Starlings live only in 
pairs. They build their nests in the crevices of 
towers, steeples, old ruins, and in the clefts of 
rocks ; and sometimes they will take possession of the 
abandoned nests of crows. The eggs are of a pale 
blue colour. 

When the breeding season has come to a close, 
then Starlings assemble themselves in immense 
numbers ; they then also often mix themselves up with 
rooks, and we may see them scattered over the 
fields searching for food. They mix without fear 
among herds or flocks of grazing cattle, where they 
are attracted by the insects which settle on the hides 
of the animals or creep about on the ground. As 
the evening approaches and becomes dusk, the multi- 
tudes previously scattered far and wide re-collect into 
one vast assembly, and are seen wheeling and sweeping 
through the air, and executing the most beautiful 
aerial evolutions, as though in obedience to some fixed 


152 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


signals of command, while the whole troop hears 
onward to some chosen place of rest and repose. The 
locality thus made choice of is usually a thick spinet 
or coppice, or extensive reed-bed, and over this the 
mass of birds wheels about in varying figures, at one 
time sinking, at another rising, again suddenly turning, 
until at length the entire flock settles down for the 
night, keeping up a long, noisy, chattering concert. 

Mr. W. Thompson states that in Ireland the Starling 
is a migratory bird, and that their southward movement 
begins about the end of September. In our island 
the Starling is undoubtedly partially migratory, leaving 
one part of the country and going to another ; and 
we cannot hesitate to conclude that flocks of them do 
quit our shores and take up their abode in more 
southern climes. 

This bird passes through several stages before it 
attains its permanent plumage. Throughout the first 
autumn the young are of a uniform ashy brown. In 
the month of October they put on a plumage of black, 
with bronze, violet, and green reflections in each 
feather, except the quill and tail-feathers, being tipped 
with a spot of yellowish white. This state of their 
plumage lasts till the third year ; then the bill becomes 
yellow, and the throat and chest are covered with 
loose lanceolate feathers, of a rich black, with purple 
and golden-green reflections. The head and under- 
parts are of this hue also. The back is greenish- 
black, with small triangular spots of reddish- white. 
This is the permanent condition of the plumage. 

























































































•? 

l—> 




1. The TZcuvfi-iwh 







Jfmcfetj. 

We have now arrived at the typical family of the 
Conirostres , or that group of birds whose bill assumes 
in the greatest degree a conical form ; namely, the 
Finches, Fringillidce. They are the most extensive in 
number, as well as the smallest in size, of any in the 
whole tribe. They inhabit all parts of the globe, 
feeding principally upon the seeds of plants, or the 
kernels of fruits, which their peculiar organization 
enables them to procure and devour with facility. 
Their grand office in the economy of Nature appears 
to be to assist, and that in no small degree, in keeping 
down the excess of certain forms of vegetation, sub- 
sisting as they do, in many instances, on the germs of 
life so copiously and abundantly distributed by various 
plants, chiefly of the composite and cruciform races, 
the extreme and exuberant fertility of which would 
otherwise enable them to usurp dominion over every 
other, and so monopolize the soil as to render it 
unfit for cultivation. The adaptation, however, as in 
all similar cases, is of course mutual, and the apparent 
superfluity of seeds which are annually produced, 
thus enables thousands and millions of beings to 
enjoy existence, to enliven and diversify the face of 
nature with moving life, and to cheer the still monotony 
of vegetable beauty by their lively and inspiring songs 
of joy and happiness.* 


* “ British Cyclopaedia.’ 


154 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


The principal character which distinguishes these 
birds from all others is the conic form, strength, and 
comparative shortness of the bill, which is most highly- 

developed in the 
genus coccothraustes. 
In the sub-families, 
genera, and sub- 
genera, that serve to 
connect these birds 
with the neighbour- 
ing groups, a gradual 
modification in the 
form of the bill may be observed ; they are all admir- 
ably fitted for gathering or picking up, and crushing 
the different grains and berries, fruits and kernels 
upon which they feed, and some of them exhibit a 
peculiar and beautiful adaptation, which enables them 
to wrench from their pedicles the firmly-rooted seeds 
of the fir-cones, or to divide the hardest shells. In 
some of the species the colours are exceedingly rich 
and bright, and beautifully combined ; but in many 
they are dull and inconspicuous. The legs are of 
moderate length, and the three toes which are in 
front are cleft to their base, so that the birds can 
freely move both upon the ground and among trees. 
The species are so very numerous that no general 
description will apply equally to the whole group : 
some of the individual peculiarities will be described 
as we' proceed in noticing the principal subordinate 
divisions. 

The species of this family, as just observed, are 
very numerous, and the similitude that many of them 



FINCHES. 


155 


bear to some of the aberrant groups of the preceding 
tribe or family are so striking and various, that it 
is doubtful which is the group most nearly allied to 
them. We consider, however, that the alaudinae is 
the more aberrant group of the present family ; and 
that as the coccothraustince exhibit in the form and 
structure of their bill the greatest strength, and 
closest resemblance to a cone, the several sub-families 
will arrange themselves as follow; viz., Alcmdince 
(Larks), FringUlince (Ground Finches), Cocco- 
thraustincB (or Grosbeaks), Tanagrince (or Tanagers), 
and Fyrrlmlince (or Bull-finches). 

The characteristic features of the Larks at once 
distinguish them from the other groups. The bill, 
although conic, is much more slender than in any 
other birds of 
the family. The 
legs and feet 
are more pecu- 
liarly adapted 
for walking, or 
for running on 
grass or uneven 
surfaces ; the 
claws being uncommonly straight and lengthened, 
more especially the hinder one, which is either nearly 
straight or very slightly curved. The uniformity of 
colouring which prevails generally amongst the 
Larks is another adaptation to their haunts, and is 
one out of the numberless instances of that harmo- 
nious design which marks the visible creation. Con- 
tinually exposed, from the character of their haunts, 



156 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


to the observation of birds of prey and other enemies, 
the colouring of these birds has been assimilated so 
nearly to that of the ground, that they can scarcely 
be distinguished, even when close, by an ordinary 
observer ; and however keen may be the sight of a 
hawk, the plumage of the Lark is so exactly like the 
earth upon which it moves, that although its presence 
might be detected by watching, it would never 
attract a passing enemy. The food of the Lark con- 
sists of grain and different seeds ; worms and other 
insects, as well as the tender blades of grass, form like- 
wise a portion of its fare. 

The genus by which the junction is effected 
between the Larks and the Sturnidce , appears to be 
Macronyx of Swainson, the Crescent-larks of Africa, 
or Alauda Magna of Linnaeus, and of the American 
ornithologists. The similarity of the latter bird to 
the Starlings is so apparent as to have caused their 
being placed amongst them by modern naturalists. 
Wilson, however, remarks that in the particular form 
of his bill, in his manners, plumage, mode and place of 
building his nest, Nature has clearly pointed out his 
proper family. Audubon halls it the Meadow Lark, 
or American Starling ; but whether it be a member of 
the Sturnidce or of the Alaudincs , the affinity between 
the two groups appears to be remarkably close. 

Two species only of this sub-family, the Skylark 
and the Woodlark, resort to Great Britain. The 
latter is by no means so abundant a species as the 
former ; neither is its sweetly-warbled song so gene- 
rally heard. It is confined to the southern and 
western parts of England, and according to Montagu 


FINCHES . 


157 


is most numerous in Devonshire. The melodious 
richness of its song is scarcely equalled by any of 
the warblers ; and far surpasses in softness and 
melody the more varied song of the Skylark. 

The Skylark ( Alauda arvensis) is spread very gene- 
rally over Europe, different parts of Asia, and the 
northern part of Africa. The localities it most 
delights in are extensive arable lands and open 
meadows ; but in Ireland, Mr. Thompson says, it is 
equally well pleased with the wild mountain pasture. 
At times this favourite songster will sing while at 
rest in a clod of earth, but most commonly it sends 
forth its sweet song while floating in the boundless 
space above ; it rises in a spiral manner on quivering 
wings, trilling forth its animated and varied lay, 
mounting up higher and higher, until it seems to the 
beholder a mere speck in the clear blue firmament of 
heaven. It descends in an oblique manner, and at 
first gradually, but when it arrives within twenty or 
thirty yards of the ground, it ceases its strain, and 
then sweeps down suddenly to join its mate. 

The Skylark breeds in the month of April, or early 
in May, forming its nest of the stalks of vegetables 
and dried grasses, and lining it with fine fibres, upon 
the ground, amongst corn or other herbage. The 
eggs are of a greenish white, spotted with brown: 
two broods are reared annually, the second in July or 
August. The common flight of this bird is easy 
and undulating, and on the ground it trips along 
with great facility, its feet, and especially the elon- 
gated slender hind-claw, expressly adapting it for the 
grassy surface of the field. It lives for the most 


158 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


part on insects, worms, grain and other seeds, the 
leaves of the clover, etc. 

When winter draws near they are seen to assemble 
in innumerable flocks, increasing in magnitude as the 
weather becomes more severe by arrivals from colder 
regions ; they habitually frequent stubble-fields, 
turnip-fields, and such-like situations, and being con- 
sidered a delicacy for the table, large quantities are 
caught at this period of the year by means of nets, 
and despatched to the London market. Dunstable is 
a noted place of resort for Larks, where multitudes 
are captured ; besides which many are brought from 
Holland. The Skylark has formed the theme of 
many a poet’s lay. We quote one, from the writings 
of James Hogg : 

“ Bird of the wilderness 
Blithsome and cumberless, 

Sweet be thy matin o’er moorland and lea ! 

Emblem of happiness, 

Blest is thy dwelling-place — 

O to abide in the desert with thee ! 

Wild is thy lay, and loud. 

Far in the downy cloud, 

Love gives it energy, love gave it birth. 

Where, on thy dewy wing. 

Where art thou journeying ? 

Thy lay is in Heaven, thy love is on earth. 

O’er fell and fountain sheen, 

O’er moor and mountain green. 

O’er the red streamer that heralds the day, 

Over the cloudlet dim, 

Over the rainbow’s rim, 

Musical cherub, soar, sing away ! 

Then, when the gloming comes. 

Low in the heather blooms, 

Sweet will thy welcome and bed of love be ! 

Emblem of happiness. 

Blest is thy dwelling-place, — 

O to abide in the desert with thee !” 


FINCHES. 


159 


Here is another, of a different character, from the 
pen of Wordsworth, the poet of Nature : 


“ Ethereal minstrel ! pilgrim of the sky ! 

Dost thou despise the earth where cares abound ? 

Or, while the wings aspire, are heart and eye 
Both with thy nest upon the dewy gronnd ? 

Thy nest, which thou canst drop into at will, 

Those quivering wings composed, that music still ! 

To the last point of vision, and beyond, 

Mount, daring warbler ! that love-prompted strain 

(’Twixt thee and thine a never-failing bond). 

Thrills not the less the bosom of the plain ; 

Yet might’st thou seem, proud privilege ! to sing 

All independent of the leafy spring. 

Leave to the Nightingale her shady wood, — 

A privacy of glorious light is thine ; 

Whence thou dost pour upon the world a flood 
Of harmony, with instinct more divine : 

Type of the wise who soar, but never roam ; 

True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home.” 

The Woodlark (Alouda cirlorea) is found over every 
part of Europe, even as far north as Sweden ; in 
colder countries it is migratory, hut not in those 
which are more temperate. In our island it abounds 
most in the midland and southern districts, if not, as 
before stated, almost confined to them. It frequents 
wooded and well-cultivated parts of the country. It 
generally gives utterance to its song when it is on the 
wing, often continuing it for an hour without inter- 
mission, while all the time it is describing a series of 
widely-extended circles. Occasionally it pours forth 
its strain when perched on the branch of a decaying 
tree. It breeds in April ; placing its nest under the 
shelter of a dwarf shrub or tuft of herbage. The 
nest itself is constructed of dried stalks and grass, 


1G0 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


lined with fibres and hair. The eggs are of a pale 
wood-brown, marked with blotches of grey and dark 
brown. This species does not associate in flocks in 
winter, as the Skylark does, but in little families of 
five or seven individuals, which separate on the 
approach of spring, or soon after Christmas ; when, 
if the weather be mild, the males begin to utter their 
song. 




















I 





(tottir $m\tL 

The Bunting, tlie Chaffinch, and the Sparrow, are 
examples of the Fringillince, or Ground Pinches. 
The Fringillince, Mr. Swainson observes, may be cor- 
rectly termed Ground Pinches ; since with scarcely 
any exception, they are all birds which habitually 
walk or hop in such situations, and derive their chief 
sustenance from seeds of grasses and other plants. 
Like the generality of birds which live upon the 
ground, the plumage of nearly all the FringillincB is 
of an earthy colour, that is, of different shades of 
brown, variegated with blackish spots or markings ; 
while their legs are light coloured. The geographic 
distribution of these birds is chiefly in the cold and 
temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North 
America ; very few, in comparison, are found in South 
America; and none have yet been discovered in 
Australia.* 

The union of the Fringillince with the Alaudince is 
clearly effected by the genus Flectrophcmes , or Lark- 
Buntings, which have the bill of Fmberiza united to 
that structure of foot so peculiar to the birds com- 
posing the latter group. 

There is a peculiarity in the bill of the Buntings 
which enables them with great facility to crack the 
husks or shells of the different seeds and berries on 
which they feed, and with the aid of the tongue to 

* Classification of Birds. 

M 


162 


BEATJTIEUL BIBBS. 


extricate the kernel or farinaceous portion. The bill 
is conical in form, strong, hard, and sharp pointed, 
with the culmen nearly straight. The tomia, or edges 
of both mandibles, curved inwards ; the upper mandi- 
ble narrower and smaller than the under one, and its 
roof furnished with a hard, bony, and projecting 
palatal knob. 

There are five British species of Bunting, namely, 
the Snow-Bunting ( Tlectrophanes nivalis ) ; Common 
Bunting ( JEmberiza miliaria) ; Yellow Bunting 
(Tmberiza citrinella) ; Reed Bunting (JEmberiza 
schoeniculus) ; Cirl Bunting (Timber iza cirlus ) ; and 
the Ortolan Bunting ( JEmberiza hortulana :), which is 
an occasional visitant. 

All these live chiefly upon seeds, of which they 
consume a vast quantity, seeking them upon the 
plants which produce them, or on the ground ; but 
they also eat insects. 

The bill of the Lark Bunting (Tlectropbanes) is 
comparatively shorter, and the palatal knob less 
developed, than in the true Bunting. The wings are 
better calculated for extensive flight, being long and 
acuminate, and having the first quill feather the 
longest instead of the third. The hind claw is long, 
and nearly straight, as in the Larks ; and the feet are 
adapted for running upon the ground, and not for 
perching. They are natives of the Arctic regions, 
and are driven southward only by the severity of the 
winter in those latitudes. One species, the Snow 
Bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis), appears annually to 
visit the northern portion of this island. In Northum- 
berland, Mr. Selby observes, it rarely happens that 


GROUND PINCHES. 


163 


these birds are not annually to be met with in the 
three varieties of plumage which have caused them to 
be deemed as separate species by Montague and 
others, under the names of the Snow, Tawny, and- 
Mountain Bunting. 

The Snow-flake, as this bird is sometimes called, 
generally arrives in the upland or mountainous dis- 
tricts, about the middle or latter part of October, in 
large flocks, which seem chiefly to consist of the 
young of the year (or Mountain Buntings), and of 
females or young males (the Tawny Buntings), with a 
few adult males intermixed, which at this period, 
having scarcely acquired their winter livery, are in 
consequence nearer to the state of the tawny plumage. 
Afterwards, if the season should be severe, small 
flocks are seen, principally consisting of adult male 
birds, in their winter dress, but never in such num- 
bers as are those in the two first-mentioned states. 

As the severity of the winter increases, they leave 
the heaths, where they have fed upon the seeds of 
various grasses, and, descending to the lower grounds, 
frequent the oat stubbles ; and, if the snow lies deep, 
they approximate to the coasts, where the influence 
of the sea-breeze soon exposes a sufficient breadth of 
ground to afford them subsistence. Their call-note is 
pleasing, and often repeated during their flight, which 
is always in a very compact body; and frequently, 
before settling upon the ground, they make sudden 
wheels, coming almost in collision with each other, at 
which time a peculiar guttural note is produced. 

As spring approaches, they retire to their northern 
haunts to breed, and penetrate as far as the coasts of 


164 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


the Polar sea — to the extreme latitude that our navi- 
gators have as yet visited. Countless thousands of 
them are found on the ice near Spitzbergen; and 
there are numbers also in Greenland. They appear, 
indeed, to make the countries within the whole Arctic 
circle their summer residence. 

“ The Snow Bunting,” says Wilson, “ derives a con- 
siderable part of its food from the seeds of certain 
aquatic plants, which may be one reason for its pre- 
ferring these remote northern countries, so generally 
interspersed with streams, ponds, lakes, and shallow 
arms of the sea, and probably abound with such 
plants. In passing down the Seneca river, towards 
Lake Ontario, late in the month of October,” continues 
Wilson, “ I was surprised by the appearance of a large 
flock of these birds feeding on the surface of the water, 
supported on the tops of a growth of weeds that rose 
from the bottom, growing so close together that our 
boat could with great difficulty make way through 
them. They were running about with great activity ; 
and those I shot and examined were filled, not only 
with the seeds of this plant, but with a minute kind of 
shell-fish that adhered to the leaves. In these kinds of 
aquatic excursions they are doubtless greatly assisted 
by the length of their hind heel and their claws.” * 

In size the Snow Buntings resemble the Larks ; and 
they are caught in great numbers by the Laplanders 
in hair springs, their flesh being exceedingly delicate. 
The female builds in the crevices of rocks, construct- 
ing a nest of grass and feathers, lined with the hair and 
wool of the Arctic fox, or other quadruped, and lays 

* American Ornithology. 


GJSOTJ^D FILCHES. 


165 


about five or six reddish-white eggs, spotted with 
brown, and nearly spherical. 

According to Wilson, the summer dress of the 
Snow Eunting is a tawny brown, interspersed with 
white, covering the head, neck, and lower parts ; the 
back is black, each feather being skirted with brown ; 
wings and tail, also black, marked in the following 
manner : — The three secondaries next the body are 
bordered with bay, the next with white, and all the 
rest of the secondaries, as well as the coverts and 
shoulder of the wing, pure white ; the first six prima- 
ries are black from their coverts downwards to their 
extremities ; tail forked, the three exterior feathers on 
each side white, marked on the outer edge near the 
tip with black, the rest nearly all black ; tail coverts, 
reddish-brown, fading into white ; bill, pale brown ; 
legs and feet, black ; hind claw long, like that of the 
Lark, though more curved. In winter they become 
white on the head, neck, and whole under-side, as 
well as great part of the wings and rump ; the back 
continues black skirted with brown. Some are even 
pure white. Indeed, so much does their plumage 
vary, that no two are found at any time alike. 

The Common Bunting (JEniberiza miliaria) is com- 
monly found throughout the greater part of Europe, 
and is plentiful in England, particularly upon culti- 
vated lands, where, in the season of autumn, large 
flocks congregate together. Hedges, the neighbour- 
hood of farm-houses, and barn-yards, are places to 
which they commonly resort ; and by net and gun 
many thousands are taken for food, and considered a 
delicacy. When spring returns, these assembled mul- 


166 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


titudes disperse themselves all over the country in 
pairs. They build their nest near the ground, of dry 
grasses, and line it with hair and dried fibres ; selecting 
a corn-field, or, more frequently, ditch banks well pro- 
tected by the brambles and briars which have been 
allowed to grow wild. Their eggs are of a greyish- 
yellow tint, very pale, spotted and veined with reddish- 
brown. While the female is fulfilling her vocation of 
hatching the young, the male bird makes choice of a 
lofty twig, upon a tall hedge, where he perches himself 
in his pride, and delights himself and his mate with 
his singular and somewhat irregular notes. 

The Yellow Hammer ( Ember iza citrinella ), or, as it 
is also called, the Yellow Bunting, is beautifully and 
delicately coloured ; it is, however, so abundant that 
our admiration is rarely excited by its beauty, and it 
is chiefly regarded by the farmer as an unwelcome in- 
truder into the yard where his cereal crops are stacked. 
In winter the Yellow Buntings may be seen united 
in little flocks by themselves,. or sometimes asso- 
ciating themselves with the larger bodies of the Com- 
mon Bunting. The male cheers his mate, while engaged 
in the tedious task of incubation, in a manner similar 
to that adopted by the Common Bunting ; and if 
approached, he takes his flight along the hedge, alight- 
ing at a little distance, and resuming his song ; if 
followed, he repeats his flight. This species of the 
Bunting builds upon the ground, in dwarf bushes^ 
among beds of nettles, or other low herbage, forming 
its nest of dried grasses, and lining it with hair. Its 
eggs are of a pale purplish white, streaked and covered 
with chocolate-coloured marks. 


GKEOUND PINCHES. 


167 


The Reed Bunting (Ember izct schoeniculus) is found 
in the British Islands, and from Italy to Sweden? 
wherever willows and aquatic herbage, growing in 
swamps and marshy situations, offer a suitable abode. 
The nests of this bird and of the Yellow Hammer 
have often been mistaken one for the other ; but the 
Reed Bunting never suspends its nest between the 
stems of reeds, although it frequents them: on the 
contrary, it is built in a low bush or tuft of grass ; 
its materials are dry grass and moss, lined with 
hair. The Reed Bunting’s eggs are pale pinky grey, 
spotted and veined with reddish-brown; it has no 
song; its food is chiefly seeds of reeds and other 
aquatic plants, insects and their larvae; when the 
winter weather is severe, it resorts to the farm-yard, 
both for shelter and subsistence. The general colour 
of the bird is pale brown, the male having the head, 
throat, and centre of the chest, black; a patch of 
white, beginning below the angle of the bill, spreads 
round the neck, and extends down the sides of the 
breast and over the under surface; quills, brown; 
rump, bluish-grey. 

The Ortolan Bunting ( Emberiza hortulana ), or, as 
it is commonly called, the Ortolan, is said to be 
strictly a native of the southern provinces of Europe. 
Individuals of the species have been killed in this 
country. Its winter residence is JSTorth Africa, and 
in its migratory expedition it visits Gibraltar every 
spring and autumn. Its food consists for the most 
part of millet and other grains, together with insects. 
It constructs its nest of fibres and leaves, lines it 
with fine grass and hair, and chooses for its locality 


168 


BEAUTIFUL BIBBS. 


the covert of hedges or hushes, and the ground in 
corn-fields. Its eggs are reddish-grey streaked with 
brown, or bluish-white spotted with black. "When 
this bird is fed in a proper manner it becomes very 
fat, and is extremely delicious. In the south of 
Europe there are several establishments for the pur- 
pose of feeding Ortolans with abundance of their 
favourite food, for the table. 

In the male bird, the throat, the circle round the 
eyes, and a narrow band springing from the angle 
of the bill, are yellow, these two yellow spaces being 
separated by a blackish-grey dash; head and neck 
grey, tinged with olive, and spotted with brown ; 
feathers of the upper parts blackish in the middle 
and reddish on their edges ; under parts, reddish-bay ; 
tail blackish, the external feather with white on the 
outer vanes ; bill and legs flesh colour. 

The Chaffinches and Sparrows are familiar to all. 
There are slight variations of form exhibited in some 
American species, but they are not of particular im- 
portance. We come now to the most typical of all 
the Einches, forming the sub-family Coccotliraustince, 
or Hard Bills. In this division are comprised, as we 
have before intimated, those birds which possess the 
most conic, largest, and most 
powerful bill. They are all tree 
birds, seeking their food amongst 
the branches, or on the stems and 
twigs of slender weeds and plants, 
and not resorting to the ground 
like the Sparrows and Buntings. 
Two species well known in this country, though not 



GEOTJND FILCHES. 


169 


pre-eminently typical, will serve to convey a tolerable 
idea of the general structure of these birds. The 
other native birds which enter into the aberrant 
group are the Goldfinches and Linnets. 

The powerful bill with which the typical species are 
provided, enables them to break the shells of the 
harder kind of seeds and berries upon which they 
principally subsist. The Hawfinch ( CoccotJiraustes 
JEuropceus ), for instance, feeds entirely upon the 
produce of various trees, such as the kernels and 
seeds of the beech, elm, ash, and maple ; and in the 
winter on the berries or, rather, the seeds and stones 
of the juniper, service-tree, and white-thorn; it attacks 
also cherries and plums, the stones of which it breaks 
with the greatest ease, to feed upon the enclosed 
kernels. The species which do not possess the 
powerful bill of the more typical groups, such as the 
Linnets, Goldfinches, etc., feed upon the smaller class 
of seeds of wild plants, as the flax, thistle, dandelion, 
etc., and particularly on those of the cruciform 
plants. 

The sub-family Coccothraustince is composed of 
many genera, among which the Weavers (Ploceus) 
are conspicuous for their numbers as well as their 
beauty. The name Weaver was given to them on 
account of the surprising skill that they display in the 
fabrication of their nests. One of these nests mentioned 
by Barrow* as fabricated by a species of Loxia or Gos- 
hawk (probably of the modern genus JEuplectes ), is in 
the form of a chemist’s retort. It is usually built on 
the extremity of a branch extending over a river or pool 

* Travels in Africa. 


170 


BEAUTIFUL BIBDS. 


of water ; and the shank, which is eight or ten inches 
long, and forms the entrance to the nest, almost 
touches the water. The material of which their nests 
are made appears to he grass or reeds, firmly put 
together and curiously woven. On one side of this, 
within, is the true nest. The bird does not build a 
distinct nest every year, but fastens a new one to the 
lower end of the old ; and as many as five may thus 
be seen one hanging from another. From five to six 
hundred such nests have been observed crowded upon 
one tree. 

These pensile nests are formed of various shapes 
by the different species of Weavers ; and one species, 
the Sociable Grosbeak, by the united labour of vast 
numbers of those birds, forms a connected structure 
of interwoven grass, containing various apartments, 
which are all 'covered by a sloping roof impervious to 
the heaviest rain. These nests are generally formed 
round the trunk of some tree. The following is Le 
Yaillant’s description of one of the nests which he 
examined:— “I observed, on the way, a tree with an 
enormous nest of these birds, to which I have given 
the name of Republicans ; and as soon as I arrived at 
my camp, I despatched a few men with a wagon to 
bring it to me, that I might open the hive and examine 
its structure in its ‘minutest parts. When it arrived 
I cut it to pieces with a hatchet, and saw the chief 
portion of the structure consisted of a mass of 
grass, without any mixture, but so compact and 
firmly basketed together as to be impenetrable to the 
rain. This is the commencement of the structure ; 
and each bird builds its particular nest under this 


GEOTJND FINCHES. 


171 


canopy, the upper surface remaining void — without, 
however, being useless ; for as it has a projecting rim, 
and is a little inclined, it serves to let the rain-water 
run off, and preserves each little dwelling from the 
rain. Figure to yourself a huge irregular, sloping 
roof, all the eaves of which are completely covered 
with nests crowded one against another, and you will 
have a tolerably accurate idea of their singular edifices. 
Each individual nest is three or four inches in diameter, 
which is sufficient for the bird. But, as they are all 
in contact with one another around the eaves, they 
appear to the eye to form but one building, and are 
distinguishable from each other only by a little external 
aperture, which serves as an entrance to the nest ; and 
even this is sometimes common to three different 
nests, one of which is situated at the bottom, and the 
others, at the sides. According to Paterson, the 
number of cells increasing in proportion to the 
increase of inhabitants, the old ones become “ streets 
of communication formed by line and level.” No 
doubt, as the republic increases the cells must be 
multiplied also ; but it is easy to imagine that, as the 
augmentation can take place only at the surface, the 
new buildings will necessarily cover the old ones, 
which must therefore be abandoned. 

“ The largest nest that I examined was one of the 
most considerable I had anywhere seen in the course 
of my journey, and contained three hundred and 
twenty inhabited cells, which, supposing a male and 
female to each, would form a society of six hundred 
and forty individuals. Such a calculation, however, 
•would not be exact,” as it appears that in every flock 


172 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


the females are more numerous than the males ; one 
male being common to several females. 

The genus Vidua presents us with those elegant 
Pinches peculiar to Western Africa, and known by 
the name of Whidah Birds. Although little or no- 
thing is known of their habits in a state of nature, 
they are the most striking of all the genera that com- 
pose the family of Weavers. They are small birds, 
not larger than a Canary; and the males, during the 
love-season, are adorned with exceedingly long tail- 
feathers, often four times the length of the tail itself : 
at this period also the general plumage becomes richer 
and more varied in colour. The long feathers of the 
tail fall off towards the end of autumn, and the 
plumage that is assumed at the autumnal moult is of 
a sober cast, and scarcely differs from that of the 
female. 

These birds are found in various parts of the 
western coast of Africa, from Senegal to Angola. They 
appear to be particularly common in the kingdom of 
Whidah, in Gruinea, whence they derive their name. 
They are also called Widow Birds, from the generic 
name Vidua or Veuve having been assigned to them 
by the Trench naturalists. They have much the 
manners, as they have, with the exception of the 
peculiar structure of their tails, all the organization, 
of the Linnets : their note is rather sharp, but agree- 
able and varied. In Prance and other parts of the 
Continent, they are amongst the most favourite cage 
birds. 

Some elegant little birds are contained in the genus 
Amadina, or Bengalies ; some of w'hich, the Bronze- 
hooded Bengaly for instance, do not measure more 


GROUND FINCHES. 


173 


than three inches and a quarter in length. These 
birds have a remarkably short, thick, conic bill. They 
feed, it is said, upon the hard seeds of the African 
millet, and some other of the tall grasses, or rather 
reeds, so common in the swamps of that country. 

The species which exhibits in the highest degree 
the peculiar strength and. conic form of bill, so cha- 
racteristic of the family, appears to be the Crimson 
Nutcracker, which Mr. Swainson has designated by the 
name JPgrenestes sanguineus. This bird, he observes, 
is the most pre-eminent type he has yet seen of this 
family. It may safely be affirmed, he continues, that 
this extraordinary bird has the thickest and most 
massive bill in the feathered creation. Both mandibles, 
indeed, are of enormous size; but, contrary to what 
we find in the generality of birds, the under one is 
still more powerful than the upper. What are the 
nuts or seeds, the breaking of which requires such an 
amazing strength of bill, is perfectly unknown ; but 
they must be of a stone-like hardness. The sharp tooth 
at the base of the upper mandible is, no doubt, highly 
useful in this operation, probably performing the office 
of a canine tooth by making a first indentation in the 
nut, whereby to procure a hold upon it. # 

The bill, it will be ob- 
served, is a perfect cone, the 
sides of which are quite 
straight, and in no wise 
curved outwards. Theupper 
mandible does not project 
at its tip beyond the under ; 
its margin is quite entire, excepting the short and 

* Birds of Western Africa. 



174 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


rather tooth-like process close to its base, while the 
commissure, or line formed by the joining of the two 
mandibles, is nearly straight ; the nostrils are vertical, 
pierced behind the substance of the bill, hut com- 
pletely covered with the frontal feathers. The wings 
are rather short, and much rounded. The feet large 
and slender ; the middle toe very long, exceeding with 
its claw the length of the tarsus ; the hind claw is as 
long as its toe, as in many of the scansorial birds. The 
tail is broad, and much rounded. 

The colouring of the plumage is rich, yet simple. 
The feathers of the whole head, neck, breast, upper 
tail coverts, and half-way down the flanks, are of 
bright crimson, and appear glossy, as if polished, but 
without any coloured reflections. The tail is of a dull 
red, but the inner half of the lateral feathers is black ; 
the quills are nearly so. All the rest of the plumage 
is a uniform sepia brown. Bill, deep black; legs, 
brown ; claws, long, slender, and but little curved. 
Total length of the bird, five inches and three 
quarters. 

In the Cardinals ( G-uaricci ), the upper mandible is 
larger than the lower, covering its margins entirely, 
as in the Bullfinches ; its form is not so completely 
angular, but is very slightly curved. Bed is the pre- 
dominating colour of the plumage, which, in the soft- 
ness of its texture, resembles that of the true Bull- 
finches. The wings are generally short, and the tail 
rather long than otherwise. The type of this division 
is the Bed Cardinal ( Guarica cardinalis), Cardinal 
Grosbeak, or Virginian Nightingale, as it has some- 
times been called. Caged specimens of this species 


GEOUND EINCHES. 


175 


are often imported into this country, and sold at a 
high price. It is eight inches in length ; all the upper 
parts are dull dusky-red, the crest (which is long, 
pointed, and erectible) and the whole under parts, 
bright vermilion. The strength and musical power of 
their voice have obtained for these birds the appellation 
of Virginian Nightingales. Wilson says that to this 
name, as Dr. Latham observes, they are fully entitled, 
from the clearness and variety of their notes, which, 
both in a wild and domestic state, are very various and 
musical : many of them resemble the high notes of a 
fife, and are nearly as loud. They are in song from 
March to September, beginning at the first appearance 
of dawn, and repeating a favourite stanza or passage 
twenty or thirty times successively; sometimes with 
little intermission for a whole morning together, 
which, like a good story too often repeated, becomes 
at length tiresome and insipid. But the sprightly 
figure and gaudy plumage of the Bed Bird, as he is 
commonly called in the United States — his vivacity, 
strength of voice, and actual variety of note, and the 
little expense with which he is kept — will always make 
him a favourite. In the Northern States they are 
migratory; but in the lower parts of Pennsylvania 
they reside during the whole year, frequenting the 
borders of creeks and rivulets in sheltered hollows, 
covered with holly, laurel, and other evergreens. They 
love also to reside in the vicinity of fields of Indian 
corn, a grain that constitutes their chief and favourite 
food. The seeds of apples, cherries, and of many 
other sorts of fruit, are also eaten by them, and they 
are accused of destroying bees. 


176 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


In the months of March and April the males have 
many violent engagements for their favourite females. 
Early in May, in Pennsylvania, they begin to prepare 
their nest, which is often fixed in a holly, cedar, or 
laurel hush. Outwardly, it is constructed of small twigs, 
tops of dry weeds, and slips of vine hark, and lined 
with stalks of fine grass. The female lays four eggs, 
thickly marked all over with touches of brownish-olive 
on a dull white ground; and they usually raise two 
broods in a season. 

Exclusively pertaining to the American continent 
is a family, or rather sub-family, of richly plumaged 
birds, comprising several genera and a considerable 
number of species. The Tanagrince , or Tanagers, 
compose perhaps the most numerous as well as the 
most diversified group of the Fringillince. There is a 
great diversity of form in the bill, which does not 
in any species exhibit that regular conic form so highly 
characteristic of the last group, and of the Pinches in 

general; the cul- 
men or upper ridge 
is considerably 
more curved than 
the gonys ; or, in 
other words, the 
culmen is more 
curved downwards 
than the gonys is 
upwards. There is also a distinct and well-defined 
notch at the end of the upper mandible. In some 
species the commissure is slightly sinuated, and the 
sides swollen ; others have an angulated or tooth- 



GEOUND FINCHES. 


177 


like lobe in tlie middle, which folds over the edge of 
the lower mandible. The differences in the form of 
the bill are numerous; even in the same sub-genus 
there is a great dissimilarity between the bills of the 
different species. 

The whole of these birds, so far as has been yet 
ascertained, are natives of the warmer parts of 
America, abounding most in those regions which lie 
nearest the equinoctial line. They are in general 
small birds, the largest being intermediate between a 
Sparrow and a Thrush, while the majority do not ex- 
ceed the size of a Linnet ; some few are even smaller. 
“It is quite evident,” observes Mr. Swainson, “from 
the great strength of bill possessed by some, and the 
notch which is conspicuous in all, that these birds 
feed both upon seeds and creeping insects picked 
from the branches of trees ; for very few of them are 
ever seen upon the ground. Their colours in general 
are bright, and, in a large number, particularly rich 
and beautiful. The little birds forming the genus 
Agldio , in fact, are ornamented with the most vivid 
hues, or glossed- with rich reflections of gold, render- 
ing them inferior only to the humming-birds. Some 
possess considerable vocal powers; and the notes of 
the sub-genus Euphonia, as its name implies, are said 
to be particularly musical.”* 

One of the most splendid of these birds is the 
Scarlet Tanager (Phcenisoma rubra), whose whole 
plumage, except the wings and tail, is of the most 
vivid carmine-red. Wing-coverts, posterior secondaries, 
and middle tail-feathers, black ; the primaries, adjoin- 

* Classification of Birds. 

N 


178 


BEAUTIFUL B1EDS. 


ing secondaries, and lateral tail-feathers, brown ; 
insides of the wings and tail beneath, grey. Bill, pale 
horn-colour. Irides cream yellow. Begs, bluish- 
grey. The male, after the autumn moult, is dappled 
with greenish-yellow. The female is of a dull green 
inclining to yellow ; the wings and tail, brownish-black, 
edged with green. Total length about seven inches. 

This, says Wilson, is one of the gaudy foreigners 
(and perhaps the most showy) that regularly visit us 
from the torrid regions of the south. He is drest in 
the richest scarlet, set off with the most jetty black, 
and comes, over extensive countries, to sojourn for a 
time with us. 

On or about the 1st of May this bird makes his 
appearance in Pennsylvania. He spreads over the 
United States, and is found even in Canada. He 
rarely approaches the habitations of man, unless 
perhaps to the orchard, where he sometimes builds; 
or to the cherry-trees in search of fruit. The depth 
of the woods is his favourite abode. There, among 
the thick foliage of the tallest trees, his simple and 
almost monotonous notes, chip , churr , repeated at 
short intervals, in a pensive tone, may be occasionally 
heard, which appear to proceed from a considerable 
distance, though the bird be immediately above you : 
a faculty bestowed upon him by the beneficent Author 
of Nature, no doubt, for his protection, to compensate, 
in a degree, for the danger to which his glowing 
colour would often expose him. Besides this usual 
note, he has, at times, a more musical chant, some- 
thing resembling in mellowness that of the Baltimore 
Oriole. His food consists of large winged insects,. 


GROUND PINCHES. 


179 


such as wasps, hornets, and humble-bees, and also of 
fruit, particularly those of that species of Vaccinium 
usually called huckle-berries, which, in their season, 
form almost his whole fare. His nest is built about 
the middle of May, on the horizontal branch of a 
tree, sometimes an apple-tree, and is but slightly put 
together: stalks of broken flax, and dry grass, so 
thinly woven together that the light is easily per- 
ceivable through it, form the repository of his young. 
The eggs are three, of a dull brown, spotted with 
brown or purple. They rarely raise more than four 
broods in a season, and leave us for the south about 
the last week in August. 

Among all the birds that inhabit our woods, there 
is none that strikes the eye of a stranger, or even a 
native, with so much brilliancy as this. Seen among 
the green leaves, with the light falling strongly on his 
plumage, he really appears beautiful. If he has little 
melody in his notes to charm us, he has nothing in 
them to disgust. His manners are modest, easy, and 
inoffensive. He commits no depredations on the 
property of the husbandman, but rather benefits him 
by the daily destruction, in spring, of many noxious 
insects ; and when winter approaches he is no plunder- 
ing dependant, but seeks, in a distant country, for 
that sustenance which the severity of the season 
denies to his industry in this. He is a striking 
ornament to our rural scenery, and none of the 
meanest of our rural songsters.* 

The last division of the Fringillidce is composed of 
the Bullfinches, forming the sub-family Fyrrhulinco . 

* American Ornithology. 

N 2 


180 


BEAUTIFUL BIEDS. 


These birds are distinguished by a' very short bill, the 
breadth of which is often greater than its length. 
The commissure of the bill, in nearly the whole of the 
genera, is very much curved, and the upper mandible, 
or rather the culmen, arched from its base. The feet 
have the tarsus shorter than the middle toe ; and the 
front toes are entirely divided, Wing, short, the 
three first quills nearly of equal length. Their food 
consists principally of seeds, berries, and kernels ; 
and though the smaller species confine themselves for 
the most part to grain or seeds, which they open, 
rejecting the husk, some of the foreign species, as 
Temminck observes, have the bill excessively large 
and strong, and capable of fracturing the most ligneous 
seed-cases. One genus Loxia exhibits a beautiful 
adaptation of structure to the peculiar food upon 
which it is appointed to subsist. The extremities of 
the two mandibles, which are rather long, are crossed, 
which enables them, by the exercise of the peculiar 
muscular power by which the mandibles are moved, to 
extract the seeds from the cones of pines and firs, on 
which they principally subsist. The points of the 
mandible are capable of being 
brought together, and are 
then inserted beneath the 
scales of the fir cones: on 
the mandibles being closed, 
the scales are wrenched open by the points acting in. 
different directions, and the seed secured and raised 
within the bill by means of the tongue. The mandi- 
bles are crossed in different directions in different 
individuals. In some specimens the upper mandible 



GBOTJND rnrCIIES. 


181 


is turned to the right, the lower being curved .to the 
left ; in others, the position of the mandibles is re- 
versed as to their direction. Mr. Yarrell has well 
illustrated the structure and moving power of this 
organ, in an interesting paper on the subject in the 
“ Zoological Journal.” After entering very minutely 
into all the details of the anatomy of this very curious 
instrument, Mr. Yarrell quotes Mr. Townson to show 
the adaptation of these parts to the wants of the bird 
in feeding. The great pine-forests, such as the Hartz, 
in Germany, says Mr. Townson, are the natural place of 
residence of the Crossbeaks, and the seed of the cones 
of these trees their food ; and it is to pull out the 
seeds from between the squama , or scales of the cones, 
that this structure is given them. Their mode of 
operation is this : — They first fix themselves across the 
cone, then bring the points of the maxilla? from their 
crossed or lateral position, to be immediately over 
each other. In this reduced compass they insinuate 
their beaks between the scales, and then opening them, 
not in the usual manner, but by drawing the inferior 
maxilla sideways, force open the scales, or squama. “It 
is at this stage of the proceeding,” observes Mr. 
Yarrell, “ that the aid of the tongue becomes necessary ; 
and here, again, we have another instance of beautiful 
adaptation. There is articulated to the anterior ex- 
tremity of the os hyoides , or bone of the tongue, an 
additional portion, formed partly of bones, with a 
horny covering. This is narrow and about three- 
eighths of an inch in length, extending forwards and 
downwards, with the sides curved upwards, and the 
distal extremity shaped like a scoop somewhat pointed, 


182 


BEAUTIFUL BIRDS. 


and thin on both edges, the proximal extremity ending 
in two small processes, elongated upwards and back- 
wards above the articulation with the bone of the 
tongue, each process having inserted upon it a slender 
muscle, extending backward to the glottis, and attached 
to the os hyoicles; and these muscles, by their con- 
traction, extend and raise the scoop-like point. Un- 
derneath the articulation of this horny grooved ap- 
pendage,” continues Mr. Yarrell, “ is another small 
muscle, which is attached at' one extremity to the os 
hyoides , at the other to the moveable piece, and by its 
action, as an antagonist to the upper muscles, bends 
the point downwards and backwards; whilst, there- 
fore, the points of the beak press the shell from the 
body of the cone, the tongue, brought forward by its 
own muscle ( genio hyoicleus ), is enabled, by the addi- 
tional muscles described, to direct and insert its 
cutting scoop beneath the seed, and the food thus dis- 
lodged is transferred to the mouth. When the man- 
dibles are separated laterally in this operation, the 
bird has an uninterrupted view of the seed in the 
cavity with the eye, on that side to which the under 
mandible is curved.”* 

Two species of Crossbill have been found to resort 
occasionally to this country, the Common Crossbill 
{Ttoxia curvirostra) , and the Parrot Crossbill ((7. pine- 
torum ) . 

Alluding to the former of these birds, Mr. Selby 
says, “ The visits of this curious and interesting species 
to our shores are at irregular periods, sometimes at an 
interval of many years. In the southern parts of the 

* Zool. Joum., v. 4. 


GBQUND FINCHES. 


183 


kingdom, during their occasional visits, they commit 
great havoc in the apple and pear orchards, by splitting 
the fruit in halves, for the sake of the enclosed pips. 
Their principal support, however, is derived from the 
seeds of the various firs.” 

According to Willoughby and the older authors, the 
Crossbill possesses a pleasant song, only heard during 
the winter months, which, unlike most other birds, is 
the season of its incubation. 

It is a native of the pine forests of Germany, Poland, 
Sweden, and other northern countries. Its form is 
rather thick, and its legs strong but short, and with 
long and hooked claws. The muscles attached to the 
bill are very powerful, giving a large and dispropor- 
tionate appearance to the head. 

The manners of these birds are said to be interesting 
in confinement (to which they become speedily accus- 
tomed), climbing along the wires of the cage in any 
direction, by means of their bill and claws, in a similar 
manner to the parrots. 

The Common Bullfinch (JPyrrTiula vulgaris ) is a 
native of the northern parts of Europe, and is only 
known in the more southern provinces as a bird of 
passage. It is stationary in our island, and very 
common in the mountain forests of Germany. This 
species is a very beautiful bird, chiefly dwelling in the 
wooded districts. It is retired in its habits; and 
throughout the winter months five or six individuals, 
the brood of the year, associate in families. In the 
spring these separate; the birds pair, and begin to 
iorm their nests. The natural song of the Bullfinch 


184 


BEAUTIFUL BIKDS. 


is low, soft, and pleasing, but cannot be heard beyond 
a short distance. It possesses the imitative faculty in 
great perfection, and can be taught to whistle musical 
airs with remarkable accuracy. * Much time is given 
and attention paid to the instruction of these birds in 
Germany ; they require to be taught regularly for 
nine consecutive months before they can execute an 
air with firmness and precision ; which should be 
uttered with a flute-like tone. Well-instructed birds 
sell at a high price, and are as interesting on account 
of their docility and affectionate disposition as their 
voice. The common call-note of the wild Bullfinch is 
a plaintive whistle. 

The food of the Bullfinch consists, during summer 
and autumn, of various seeds ; but during winter and 
spring it subsists for the most part on the buds of 
various trees and shrubs, as the thorn, larch, birch, the 
plum and other fruit trees, and thus often commits 
serious injuries in fruit gardens ; the bird does not 
swallow the buds entire, but minces them to pieces by 
means of the powerful mandibles of the bill. This bird 
builds in low thick bushes or underwood, or on the 
flat foliage of a spruce or silver fir. The foundation 
is made of birch-twigs or other slender sticks ; upon 
this is intertwined a basket of flexible fibrous roots, 
the whole forming a shallow nest. Tour or five eggs, 
of a bluish white spotted with pale orange brown, 
is the usual number. The male bird has the head, 
wings, and tail, velvet black, with a tinge of purple 
the back of the neck, and back, fine bluish-grey; 
rump wdiite ; cheeks, throat, chest, and sides, roseate ; 


PLANTAIN EATEES. 


185 


the greater wing-coverts margined witli pinkish-white. 
The plumage of the female is much duller, and the 
chest has only a faint tinge of the roseate hue. 

The next group of 
conirostral birds con- 
sists of the Plantain- 
e&ters^Musopliagince ) . 

In this family Mr. 

Swainson includes the 
Plant-cutte rs ( Pliy- 
totomincd ), the Colies 
( Colince ), and the Plantain-eaters (Musophagirue) ~ 
"With the exception of but one genus, that naturalist 
observes, they all possess a short but very strong and 
thick bill, more or less curved at the top ; the cuttiug 
margins being minutely serrated like the teeth of a 
saw ; by this structure the Chilian Phytotoma, as we 
are informed by Mollini, cuts off the plants upon 
which it feeds, close to the ground as if it had been 
done by a saw. 

The food of this remarkable division of birds seems 
to be purely vegetable, and of the most tender and 
delicate description : the Yiolet Plantain-eater (Muso- 
phaga) is stated by M. Isert, its first discoverer, to- 
live principally on the fruit of the Musa , or plantain- 
tree ; while the Touracco birds, according to M. Le 
Vaillant, feed only upon soft fruits. 

In the feet of these birds we observe considerable di- 
versity of form. In the genus Colius all the four toes 
are directed forwards ; in the Touracco birds, the outer 
toe is capable of an outward direction, but with a 
more lateral or inward grasp than the inner one. In 



1S6 


BEAUTIFUL EIBDS. 


JPhijtotomo, the four toes are arranged apparently like 
those of the Finches. One genus, Syreus, possesses 
only three toes on each foot — two before and one 
behind. These various modifications of structure in 
the foot are adapted to different localities, plants, or 
shrubs, where their food is to be obtained, and where 
a peculiar grasping power is required. 

Nearly all the species of this sub-family are 
natives of Africa, inhabiting chiefly close and rich 
woods or thickets by the banks of rivers, and nestling 
in the holes of decayed trees. Their habits are but 
imperfectly understood, their range being limited to 
the intertropical regions of that extensive and little- 
known continent. 

The Phytotomce , Plant-cutters, bear considerable 
resemblance to the Bullfinches, both in size and in 
their entire aspect; and from them we pass to the 
Colies ( ColintB ), which have all the four toes capable 
of being directed forwards. All the known species 
are African birds, dwelling chiefly in bushes and 
thickets. They seldom venture out of the shade of the 
trees, being bad flyers, but they run along the branches 
with considerable dexterity. They are said to feed 
upon buds and fruit, and are attacked, therefore, with 
great hostility by cultivators. They live in societies, 
building their nests close to each other in the centre 
of some bush, as a security, it is supposed, from birds 
of prey. 

No less attractive for their liveliness of colour, than 
the graceful agility of their motions, the Touracco 
birds are perhaps the most elegant of the Musophagince. 
The crest which ornaments their head and the nape of 


PLANTAIN EATERS. 


187 


the neck, and which is capable of being erected at 
pleasure, adds considerably to their attractive appear- 
ance. Le Yaillant, with natural enthusiasm, extols 
these birds, the Senegal Touracco ( Corythaix Senega- 
lensis ), in a state of nature, as replete with charms 
in all their movements and attitudes — uniting the 
greatest agility with perfect elegance. The colours of 
this species are described by Mr. Swainson as “ glossy 
purple; head, neck, breast, and crest, green; orbits 
naked, red ; a snowy white stripe before and partly 
•above the eye, with a black one beneath.” The bill 
is crimson, and the legs black. The mature bird is 
-about seventeen inches in length. 

The Violet Plantain’-eater (MusopJiaga violacea) is 
exceeded perhaps by no other bird' in the richness, 
depth, and beauty of its colouring. Other birds, 
says Mr. Swainson, are pretty, handsome, splendid, 

. gorgeous, beautiful ; but the colouring of this is regal. 
The shining black purple of the general plumage 
contrasts in exquisite harmony with the deep lilac- 
crimson of its wings, the peculiar tint of which is 
certainly unequalled in any other known bird. The 
beak, although remarkably large, does not seem at 
all disproportionate: for it is neither fantastically 
formed, like the Hornbills ; nor monstrously large, as 
those of the Toucans ; while the rich yellow, passing 
into crimson, with which it is decorated, gives a relief 
to the dark colour of the plumage, and must add con- 
siderably to the beauty of the living bird. 

The colouring of this species is thus described: 
The outer half of the upper and the whole of the 
under mandible are of a bright crimson, blending into 


188 BEATTTIEUL BIRDS. 

a fine deep yellow on the frontal or thickest part; 
the orbits are entirely naked, and, with the compact 
velvet-like feathers of the crown, are of a glossy 
crimson ; the ears are bordered above by a pure white 
stripe ; the whole of the secondary and part of tho 
primary quills are of the richest carmine glossed with 
lilac, more or less margined and tipped with the 
blackish violet which spreads over all the rest of the 
plumage; this violet gloss, however, becomes very 
dark green on the under parts, and is particularly 
rich on the tail. The legs are strong and black.* 
The base of the upper mandible is very much dilated, 
and spreads, like a casque or helmet, over the fore 
part of the head as far as the crown, where its 
thickened sides form a semicircle. The gape is very 
wide, and extends beneath the eyes. Nostrils, oval, 
naked, pierced through the substance of the bill, and 
nearer to the tip than to the eyes. The total length 
of the bird is about twenty inches. 

In the family Bucerida, or Hornbills, there is only 
one genus, that of Buceros. These birds are charac- 
terized by a bill of enormous size, the upper inaudible 



HORTfBILLS. 


189 


facing generally furnished with a protuberance or 
knob at its base, of various shapes. In some of the 
species this singular appendage to the upper mandible 
is almost as large as the bill itself. Its use has not 
been ascertained. The whole of the bill, large and 
formidable as it appears, is weak and brittle, being 
cellular and light in substance. The tomia are 
naturally jagged, and they are often chipped into 
notches in the using. Their food consists of small 
animals, reptiles, and vegetables ; sometimes carrion. 
The prey is swallowed whole ; but previous to its 
transmission to the stomach, it is ground or crushed 
between the jagged tomia. They are said to eat 
voraciously, and to cast up their food into the air, 
catching it in its descent. They are omnivorous 
birds, and resemble in some respects the crows ; but 
they are not endowed with the faculty of either 
perching or walking as those birds, and their feet are 
very different. The legs of the Hornbill are short, 
the tarsus being no longer than the middle toe. All 
the fore-toes are united at the base, and the outer is 
joined to the middle toe as far as the first joint. The 
hinder toe is the shortest, and the lateral ones unequal 
in size : claws short and thick. The whole limb is 
robust and muscular. It is neither a perching foot 
nor a walking foot, but simply a foot by means of 
which the bird can stand firmly, either on the ground 
or a branch. It is a gressorial foot, as it is technically 
called, and of the same nature as that of the King- 
fisher, Bee-eater, and Tody. In these latter birds, 
whose feet are very small and weak, the deficiency or 
inferiority of form in the foot is counterbalanced by 


190 


BEAUTIFUL BIBDS. 


an unusual development of power in the wing ; in the* 
Hornbills, by their superior robustness and muscular 
conformation of their frame. 

M. Lesson sums up the habits of the Hornbills in 
these vords : — “ Those of Africa live on carrion ; those 
of the East Indies seek for fruits, especially nutmegs, 
and their flesh thence acquires a delicious flavour. 
Their flight is performed by repeated strokes of the 
wings ; and the air which they displace, joined to the 
clattering of their mandibles, occasions a great and 
very disquieting noise in the forests, when the cause 
is unknown. This noise, capable of inspiring terror, 
does not ill resemble those flaws of rough and sudden 
winds (‘ grains de vent brusques et subits ’) which arise 
so unexpectedly between the tropics, and blow so 
violently. The Europeans established at the Moluccas 
think that the furrows which are seen on the bill of 
the Hornbills are the result of age, and that each 
furrow signifies a year ; whence the name of Jerarvogel, 
which they give to these birds.” Mr. Swainson observes 
that Hornbills are gregarious noisy birds, generally of 
a very large size, and are restricted to the Old World ; 
that they are omnivorous, feeding both on animals and 
vegetables ; that some, however, seem only to partake 
of the latter food ; while others, upon the authority 
of Le Vaillant, feed upon carrion. The Buceros 
cavatus, dissected by Mr. Owen, was observed to be 
more attached to animal than to vegetable food, and 
would quit any other substance if a dead mouse were 
offered to it. This it would swallow entire, after 
squeezing it twice or thrice with the hill; and no 
castings were noticed. Mr. Owen states, however. 


IIOKNBILLS. 


191 


that Petiver has borne testimony to its regurgitating 
habits. 

There are several species of Hornbills. All of them 
are natives of the warmer parts of the eastern conti- 
nent — that is, of Africa, of the south-east of Asia, and 
of the eastern Islands. They are generally of a large 
size, and are gregarious, noisy birds. 

The Rhinoceros ITornbill ( Buceros rhinoceros) is a 
native of India and the Indian Islands, and is to be 
seen in most museums, specimens being often brought 
to Europe. Though there may be some variety from 
age and circumstances, the bill will be generally found 
to be about ten inches long, and of a yellowish- white ; 
the upper mandible red at the base, the lower black. 
The horn, or casque, varied with black and white. The 
body black, of a dirty white below and posteriorly ; 
tail about twelve inches, the feathers white at the base 
and tip, black in the middle ; feet and claws obscure 
grey. The feathers of the cheeks and back of the 
neck are loose and hair-like. 

The Concave Hornbill {Buceros cavatus) is a native 
of the Himalaya Mountains, India, Java, and most of 
the islands of the Indian Archipelago. Its food, like 
that of other Hornbills, consists of fruits, berries, 
flesh, and even carrion ; in short, it may be considered 
strictly carnivorous.* The throat, ear-coverts, circle 
round the eye, and a narrow band at the occipital 
edge of the protuberance of the beak, black ; neck, 
dirty straw colour, the feathers of the back of the 
neck elongated ; body and wings black ; greater coverts 
and quill feathers, tipped with white ; thighs, upper 

* Gould. 


192 


BEAUTIFUL BIKDS. 


and under tail coverts, white ; as is the tail also, wi 
the exception of a broad black band, about thr:::' 
inches from the tip ; beak, yellowish, inclining : « 
scarlet at the tip; under mandible, black at thebas.- ; 
tarsi, black. * 



































